Egan Kathleen L, Gregory Eric, Sparks Michael, Wolfson Mark
a Department of Social Science and Health Policy , Wake Forest School of Medicine , Winston-Salem , NC , USA.
b Center for Research on Substance Use and Addiction , Wake Forest School of Medicine , Winston-Salem , NC , USA.
Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse. 2017 Jan;43(1):69-77. doi: 10.1080/00952990.2016.1240801. Epub 2016 Oct 31.
Organized disposal of controlled medications, such as take-back events and permanent drug donation boxes, is a prevention strategy that has been widely used to reduce the availability of controlled medications for diversion or abuse. However, little is known as to whether this strategy actually reduces the overall availability of these medications for the purposes of diversion or abuse.
The objective of this study was to compare the number and types of controlled medications that were disposed through organized efforts to the number dispensed in local communities.
The quantity and type of controlled medication collected from three take-back events and permanent drug donation boxes over 4-week-long periods in five counties in south-central Kentucky was measured and compared to the number of controlled medications dispensed, as reported by Kentucky All Schedule Prescription Electronic Reporting system.
In 2013, 21,121,658 controlled medications units were dispensed in the participating counties. Of those, 46.9% were opioid analgesics, 13.1% tranquilizers, and 37.3% "other." During the assessment periods, a total of 21,503 controlled medication units were collected. Of those, 39.9% were opioid analgesics, 2.7% tranquilizers, and 57.4% "other." Annually, controlled medications disposed were estimated to account for 0.3% of those dispensed.
Controlled medications collected by take-back events and permanent drug donation boxes constituted a miniscule proportion of the numbers dispensed. Our findings suggest that organized drug disposal efforts may have a minimal impact on reducing the availability of unused controlled medications at a community level.
有组织地处置管制药品，如回收活动和永久性药品捐赠箱，是一种预防策略，已被广泛用于减少管制药品被转移或滥用的可能性。然而，对于该策略是否真的能减少这些药品被转移或滥用的总体可能性，人们知之甚少。
本研究的目的是比较通过有组织的努力处置的管制药品数量和类型与当地社区发放的数量。
测量了在肯塔基州中南部五个县为期4周的时间里，从三次回收活动和永久性药品捐赠箱中收集的管制药品的数量和类型，并与肯塔基州全处方电子报告系统报告的管制药品发放数量进行比较。
2013年，参与研究的县共发放了21,121,658个管制药品单位。其中，46.9%是阿片类镇痛药，13.1%是镇静剂，37.3%是“其他”。在评估期间，共收集了21,503个管制药品单位。其中，39.9%是阿片类镇痛药，2.7%是镇静剂，57.4%是“其他”。据估计，每年通过回收活动和永久性药品捐赠箱处置的管制药品占发放量的0.3%。
通过回收活动和永久性药品捐赠箱收集的管制药品只占发放量的极小比例。我们的研究结果表明，有组织的药品处置努力在社区层面上对减少未使用的管制药品的可获得性可能影响极小。
