Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Administration, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
Public Health Initiative, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
BMC Med Educ. 2023 Oct 27;23(1):810. doi: 10.1186/s12909-023-04788-y.
The safe disposal of unused medication is a critical public health issue, with risks including environmental pollution, accidental ingestion, and misuse. Inadequate adherence to proper disposal methods among healthcare students could affect the practice of safe disposal of unused medicines as future healthcare professionals. This study, conducted at a Nigerian university, aimed to assess the knowledge, adherence to safe disposal practices, and barriers faced by healthcare professional students regarding unused medication disposal.
A cross-sectional study was carried out among 930 healthcare students in a Nigerian University, comprising medical and surgery, nursing, pharmacy, physiotherapy, and medical laboratory science students. Information was gathered from respondents using a self-administered questionnaire. Multivariate analyses were used to evaluate the relationship between specific variables and participants' knowledge and practice scores, while chi-square and logistic regression tests were used for categorical variables at p < 0.05.
A total of 930 students participated in this study. The results revealed a significant gap in knowledge, with (67.7%; 630) of the participants unaware of proper disposal methods and most scoring either 0 (31.9%; 297) or 1 (46.0%; 428) out of 4 on a knowledge-based questionnaire. Pharmacy students were the most knowledgeable, with 44.4% falling into the high knowledge category. However, their knowledge did not always correspond to correct practices, with only (10.1%; 94) of participants reporting use of recommended disposal methods such as returning unused medicine to a pharmacy or a drug take-back program. Significant associations were found with course of study (χ²=12.14, p = 0.033) and awareness of correct disposal methods (χ²=4.035, p = 0.045). Those aware of the correct disposal method had a higher odds ratio of high knowledge score (OR = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.1-2.41, p = 0.018) compared to those who were not aware. In terms of disposal practices, those who had received training on safe disposal had significantly higher odds of good practice score (OR = 2.25, 95% CI: 1.36-3.74, p = 0.002). Major barriers identified included lack of access to drug take-back programs (50.4%; 469), lack of knowledge (36.8%; 342), and inconvenience (10.3%; 14).
A knowledge gap was revealed among the respondents regarding the safe disposal of unused medications. Despite the presence of knowledge and awareness, these do not necessarily translate into good disposal practices. This call for strategies to overcome identified barriers, with the aim to bridge the knowledge-practice gap and promote safe disposal of unused medication. The study underscores the urgent need for improved public health policies and educational programs on safe medication disposal.
安全处理未使用的药物是一个关键的公共卫生问题，存在环境污染、意外摄入和误用等风险。医疗专业学生对正确处理方法的遵守程度不足，可能会影响他们未来作为医疗保健专业人员对未使用药物的安全处理。这项在尼日利亚大学进行的研究旨在评估医学生对未使用药物处理的知识、遵守安全处理实践的情况以及面临的障碍。
对尼日利亚大学的 930 名医学生进行了横断面研究，包括医学和外科学、护理、药学、物理治疗和医学实验室科学学生。使用自填式问卷从受访者那里收集信息。采用多元分析评估特定变量与参与者知识和实践得分之间的关系，使用卡方检验和逻辑回归检验进行分类变量分析（p < 0.05）。
共有 930 名学生参加了这项研究。结果显示，知识方面存在显著差距，（67.7%；630）的参与者不知道正确的处理方法，大多数参与者在基于知识的问卷中得分要么为 0（31.9%；297）要么为 1（46.0%；428）。药学学生的知识最丰富，其中 44.4%属于高知识类别。然而，他们的知识并不总是对应正确的实践，只有（10.1%；94）的参与者报告使用了推荐的处理方法，如将未使用的药物退还给药店或参加药品回收计划。课程（χ²=12.14，p = 0.033）和对正确处理方法的认识（χ²=4.035，p = 0.045）与知识得分有显著关联。那些知道正确处理方法的人具有更高的高知识得分优势比（OR = 1.62，95%CI：1.1-2.41，p = 0.018），而不知道的人则没有。在处理实践方面，那些接受过安全处理培训的人具有更高的良好实践得分优势比（OR = 2.25，95%CI：1.36-3.74，p = 0.002）。确定的主要障碍包括缺乏参与药品回收计划的机会（50.4%；469）、缺乏知识（36.8%；342）和不便（10.3%；14）。
受访者在安全处理未使用药物方面存在知识差距。尽管存在知识和意识，但这些并不一定转化为良好的处理实践。这需要采取策略来克服已确定的障碍，以缩小知识-实践差距并促进未使用药物的安全处理。该研究强调了迫切需要改善关于安全药物处理的公共卫生政策和教育计划。
