Assessment of practices and awareness regarding the disposal of unwanted pharmaceutical products among community pharmacies: a cross-sectional study in Palestine

BACKGROUND: The improper disposal of pharmaceutical preparations substantially threatens human health and environmental safety. Pharmacists are responsible for properly disposing of unwanted medications and educating patients about how to do so themselves. This study aimed to assess community pharmacists’ knowledge, determine their views on how to dispose of unwanted pharmaceuticals, and assess the extent to which they realize that it is their responsibility to guide patients toward the safe disposal of expired medications. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted between December 2021 and April 2022 among 400 practicing pharmacists who were chosen to participate by random cluster sampling. Community pharmacists’ practices, awareness, and beliefs about disposing of unused drugs were evaluated. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (IBM-SPSS) version 21 was used for data entry and analysis. RESULTS: Of 400 pharmacists, 348 stated that they did not participate in courses on the safe disposal of unwanted medications. Disposal of drugs in the garbage, an unsafe method, was very frequently recommended by pharmacists to patients, especially regarding inhalers, antibiotics, hormonal drugs, and solid and semisolid drugs. However, many pharmacists advised patients to return their hormonal, category B, and category C drugs to the pharmacy. A total of 61.3% of pharmacists agreed and 26% strongly agreed that unsafe disposal of drugs negatively affects the environment. A total of 54.3% of the participants agreed that improper disposal of antibiotics might be a reason for increased antimicrobial resistance, and 54.5% of them agreed that improper disposal of hormonal drugs might contribute to the development of certain cancers. A total of 80.3% of the participants perceived that most unwanted drugs in pharmacies were those returned from patients. A total of 97.3% of the participants supported establishing a drug disposal system, with 77.5% choosing to have the district health board responsible for funding this system. A total of 48.5% of the participants indicated that a lack of education and awareness on the issue of getting rid of unused drugs constitutes a challenge to the safe disposal of medicines, and 66% of them said that a lack of law enforcement constitutes another challenge. A total of 95.5% of the participants agreed or strongly agreed that good training for health sector workers and organizing workshops to develop knowledge on this subject would improve practices. A total of 93.3% supported distributing educational brochures, and 92.8% supported placing special containers in every pharmacy to collect unwanted drugs. CONCLUSIONS: Most pharmacists in our study returned drugs to manufacturing companies and stores, and few followed the correct methods of incineration and return of drugs to the Ministry of Health. Current data emphasize the issue of improper disposal of medicine in Palestine and the need for improved education among healthcare workers.