Abstract
The aim of the current article is to evaluate the ways of disposing medications in disuse adopted by the population in Itapetininga City, São Paulo State, Brazil. Cross-sectional study carried out with 182 subjects who attended health facilities. It was performed through a questionnaire about the disposal of medication kept in “home pharmacies”. In total, 2.7% of the 182 respondents properly disposed medication (delivery to health facilities) - 5.5% accounted for the correct discard of it, but, yet, it was associated with some inappropriate behavior. There was no leftover medication in 14.8% of “home pharmacies” likely because of delivery at correct medication amount and of adherence to treatment - 77% of the ducts could cause environmental damage. In total, 65% of the 182 respondents kept medication in disuse for further use and 10% of them used to donate medication to neighbors, friends and relatives - these behaviors are considered inappropriate due to likely self-medication and storage issues. In conclusion, there is the need of environmental and health education for both the population and health professionals.
Keywords:
Reverse logistics; health services waste; solid waste; drug disposal; environment and education