Academic Journal
Disposal practices for unused and expired medications among outpatients in three healthcare facilities in Ibadan, Nigeria: a cross-sectional analysis.
| Τίτλος: | Disposal practices for unused and expired medications among outpatients in three healthcare facilities in Ibadan, Nigeria: a cross-sectional analysis. |
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| Συγγραφείς: | Akande-Sholabi W; Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Administration, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria. wuradol@gmail.com., Adebisi YA; College of Social Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK., Abdul-Azeez IA; Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Administration, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria. |
| Πηγή: | BMC public health [BMC Public Health] 2025 Nov 17; Vol. 25 (1), pp. 4002. Date of Electronic Publication: 2025 Nov 17. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: BioMed Central Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 100968562 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1471-2458 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 14712458 NLM ISO Abbreviation: BMC Public Health Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: London : BioMed Central, [2001- |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Outpatients*/statistics & numerical data , Medical Waste Disposal*/methods , Medical Waste Disposal*/statistics & numerical data , Medical Waste Disposal*/standards , Health Facilities*/statistics & numerical data, Humans ; Nigeria ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Young Adult ; Aged |
| Περίληψη: | Introduction: The improper disposal of unused and expired medications poses significant environmental hazards and increases the risk of human harm. Even in countries with established policies for safe disposal, improper practices persist. In Nigeria, where there is a lack of stringent policies on medication disposal, this issue may be more pronounced. This study aims to assess the patterns of disposal of unused and expired medications among outpatients in selected hospitals in Ibadan. Methods: A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study was conducted between December 2023 and February 2024. The survey was administered by interviewers to consenting outpatients at three healthcare facilities in Ibadan. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 26, with a p-value of < 0.05 considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 864 outpatients participated in the study, with a mean age of 45.1 ± 14.92 years. More than two-fifths of participants had secondary education, while nearly one-third had tertiary education. About two-thirds (66.3%) of the respondents reported obtaining their medications through self-medication. Approximately 39.1% of participants always checked the expiration dates before purchasing medications, while 24.7% did so before reusing them. Majority (70.8%) reported having unused medications at home, with over 95% and nearly 90% disposing of expired solid and liquid medications, respectively, via household waste. Notably, 96.1% of participants reported never receiving education on proper medication disposal. While 47.3% of respondents recognized the environmental impact of improper medication disposal, 46.9% agreed on the need for a strategy to retrieve unused or expired medications. Overall, 68.4% of respondents demonstrated poor perceptions about safe medication disposal practices. Significant associations were found between gender (χ2 = 10.362, p = 0.001), marital status (χ2 = 9.824, p = 0.007), education level (χ2 = 56.91, p < 0.001), and patients' perception towards the disposal of unused and expired medications (UEMs). Conclusion: The findings highlight the urgent need for public education, awareness campaigns, and policy reform to promote proper disposal of unused and expired medications in Ibadan, Nigeria. (© 2025. The Author(s).) |
| Competing Interests: | Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Ethical approval for the study was obtained from UI/UCH ethical committee with approval number UI/EC/23/0351 and Oyo State Research Ethics Review Committee with approval number NHREC/OYOSHRIEC/10/11/22. Permission was obtained by the Chairman Medical Advisory Committee at the University College Hospital. Permission was also obtained from the Chief Medical Director, Adeoyo Maternity Teaching Hospital and the Chief Consultant, Jericho Specialist Hospital. Informed consent in accordance with the approved study protocol by the Ethics committee, was obtained from individual participants after explaining the objectives and procedure of the study to participants individually. Only the consented participants within the study period were enrolled. The study was carried out by following the principles outlined in the Helsinki Declaration of 1964. Consent for publication: Not applicable Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. |
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| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Expired drugs; Household waste; Medications; Patient education; Safe disposal |
| Substance Nomenclature: | 0 (Medical Waste Disposal) |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20251118 Date Completed: 20251118 Latest Revision: 20251120 |
| Update Code: | 20260130 |
| PubMed Central ID: | PMC12625533 |
| DOI: | 10.1186/s12889-025-25058-0 |
| PMID: | 41250078 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
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