Sweileh W M, Sawalha A F, Zyoud S H, Al-Jabi S W, Bani Shamseh F F, Khalaf H S
College of Pharmacy, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine.
Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther. 2010 Jan;48(1):59-67. doi: 10.5414/cpp48059.
Appropriate storage and use of medications in households may decrease drug wastage and unnecessary hazard. The objective of this study was to investigate storage, utilization habits and cost of medications in households in Palestine.
This is a cross sectional, anonymous, questionnaire-based study of 465 households in northern Palestine. The drug product inventory in the surveyed households was investigated and family members were interviewed.
A total of 465 households were assessed, 50 were excluded. The total number of drug products in the 415 households was 5,505; the mean + or - SD was 13.3 + or - 7.8. Level of father's education, presence of chronic disease and insurance coverage were the variables that showed a significant relationship with the amount of drug products found in the households. Most of the drug products (43.4%) were stored in relatively unsafe places in the house within the reach of children. Approximately one third (32.5%) of the drug products were not in their original container. The percentages of unused drug products, expired, or those with no clear expiry date were 32.7%, 17.7% and 11% respectively. Estimated drug wastage in the 415 households and nationwide would be 16,100 and 19 million USD respectively. The most common drug categories encountered in households were alimentary, musculoskeletal and anti-infective agents. The most common individual drugs encountered were: paracetamol (8.5%), ibuprofen (4.9%) and diclofenac (3.7%).
Medications were stored in large quantities in Palestinian households, and a large percentage was being wasted. Drug-use assessments and a comprehensive evaluation of the current national drug policies are warranted to curtail this problem.
家庭中药物的妥善储存和使用可减少药物浪费及不必要的危害。本研究的目的是调查巴勒斯坦家庭中药物的储存、使用习惯及成本。
这是一项基于问卷调查的横断面匿名研究，对巴勒斯坦北部的465户家庭进行了调查。对被调查家庭的药品库存进行了调查，并对家庭成员进行了访谈。
共评估了465户家庭，排除50户。415户家庭中的药品总数为5505种；平均值±标准差为13.3±7.8。父亲的教育程度、慢性病的存在及保险覆盖情况是与家庭中发现的药品数量呈显著相关的变量。大多数药品（43.4%）存放在家中相对不安全的地方，儿童能够拿到。约三分之一（32.5%）的药品不在原包装容器中。未使用药品、过期药品或无明确有效期药品的比例分别为32.7%、17.7%和11%。415户家庭及全国范围内估计的药品浪费分别为16100美元和1900万美元。家庭中最常见的药品类别为消化道用药、肌肉骨骼用药和抗感染药。最常见的单种药品为：对乙酰氨基酚（8.5%）、布洛芬（4.9%）和双氯芬酸（3.7%）。
巴勒斯坦家庭中储存了大量药品，且很大一部分被浪费。有必要进行药物使用评估并对当前国家药物政策进行全面评估，以解决这一问题。
