Assessment of Knowledge and Practice Regarding Disposal of Unused and Expired Drugs in Medical Professionals in a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital in Eastern India: A Cross- Sectional, Questionnaire-based Study

Tanmoy Gangopadhyay; Arup Chakraborty; Subir Kumar; Shritama Banerjee; Dilip Khatua

doi:10.18502/jpc.v12i2.16188

Tanmoy Gangopadhyay Department of Pharmacology, Medical College, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
Arup Chakraborty Department of Community Medicine, Medical College, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
Subir Kumar Department of Pharmacology, Phulo Jhano Medical College, Dumka, Jharkhand, India.
Shritama Banerjee Department of Pharmacology, Medical College, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
Dilip Khatua Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Bankura Sammilani Medical College, West Bengal, India.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/jpc.v12i2.16188

Keywords: Expired Drugs; Medical Professionals; Ecopharmacovigilance

Abstract

Background: Despite the effect of drugs on human body getting wide attention worldwide the effect of disposed drugs on the environment is largely neglected. Since the doctors working in a teaching hospital are the major stakeholder in ensuring proper and safe disposal of drugs their knowledge, attitude and practice regarding drug disposal was assessed in this study.
Methods: A pre-validated questionnaire was given to the doctors working in a tertiary care teaching hospital through Google form from 1st June,2023 to 31st July 2023. Their responses were recorded in a Microsoft excel form and analyzed.

Results: It was observed that while buying medicines 87.5% of physicians check the date of expiry but only 78.9% do that while receiving physician’s sample from the medical representatives. Among the participants in this study 97.2% declared that medicines remain unused in their homes. In case of unused drugs, 45.8% donate them to patients or hospitals, and 29.2% throw them away with household garbage whereas in case of expired medicines majority (56.9%) throw them away. Among the participants 38.9% had never instructed their patients about the proper disposal methods.

Conclusion: To ensure proper drug disposal programs should be initiated to increase awareness about the danger of improper drug disposal not only in general population but in medical community also.