Alfian Sofa D, Rendrayani Farida, Khoiry Qisty A, Pratama Mochammad A A, Griselda Meliana, Pradipta Ivan Surya, Nursiswati Nursiswati, Abdulah Rizky
Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Padjadjaran, Jatinangor, Indonesia.
Drug Utilization and Pharmacoepidemiology Research Group, Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Care Innovation, Universitas Padjadjaran, Jatinangor, Indonesia.
Saudi Pharm J. 2024 May;32(5):102020. doi: 10.1016/j.jsps.2024.102020. Epub 2024 Mar 5.
Pharmacists play a vital role in counseling customers on proper medication disposal, yet their consistency in providing such information is often lacking. This study aimed to assess pharmacists' awareness of appropriate disposal practices for unused and expired household medications. Additional objectives included evaluating whether pharmacists offer disposal information during counseling, measuring their willingness to receive medication waste from the public, and identifying associated factors.
A national cross-sectional online survey employing convenience sampling was conducted among pharmacists working in hospitals, pharmacies, clinics, or community health centers (CHCs) in Indonesia, using a validated questionnaire to assess awareness, information provision, and willingness to receive medications for disposal. Binary logistic regression, with 95% confidence intervals (CI) and odds ratios (OR), explored potential associations between factors and outcomes.
This study involved 1,596 pharmacists across 37 Indonesian provinces. Most pharmacists were women (80.4 %), aged 31-40 years (49.3 %), with a pharmacist professional background (93.8 %), working in CHCs (41.2 %), and practicing for 1-5 years (51.0 %). More than half were unaware of guidelines for returning medications to health facilities. While 69.9 % never counseled customers on disposal practices, 64.9 % expressed willingness to receive unused and expired medication from the public. Pharmacists practicing for at least six years were more likely to provide disposal information during counseling (OR: 2.54; 95 % CI: 1.44-4.47). Conversely, those in clinics (OR: 2.16; 95 % CI: 1.29-3.62), CHCs (OR: 2.07; 95 % CI: 1.45-2.95), or hospitals (OR: 2.00; 95 % CI: 1.27-3.14) were more likely to be unwilling to receive expired and unused household medication.
The study reveals that most pharmacists, particularly those with limited practice duration, lacked awareness regarding the importance of proper medication disposal and did not provide counseling on appropriate medication disposal to patients. To address this issue, there is a pressing need for intensified education intensified education at the undergraduate level, continuous training for pharmacists, and a clear policy and practical guidelines, particularly targeting pharmacists in clinics, CHCs, and hospitals, to facilitate the acceptance of unused and expired household medications.
药剂师在指导顾客正确处理药品方面发挥着至关重要的作用，然而他们在提供此类信息时往往缺乏一致性。本研究旨在评估药剂师对未使用和过期家庭药品适当处理方法的认知。其他目标包括评估药剂师在咨询过程中是否提供处理信息、衡量他们接收公众药品废弃物的意愿以及识别相关因素。
在印度尼西亚的医院、药店、诊所或社区卫生中心工作的药剂师中，采用便利抽样法进行了一项全国性横断面在线调查，使用经过验证的问卷来评估认知、信息提供情况以及接收处理药品的意愿。二元逻辑回归分析，采用95%置信区间（CI）和比值比（OR），探讨因素与结果之间的潜在关联。
本研究涉及印度尼西亚37个省份的1596名药剂师。大多数药剂师为女性（80.4%），年龄在31 - 40岁之间（49.3%），具有药剂师专业背景（93.8%），在社区卫生中心工作（41.2%），从业1 - 5年（51.0%）。超过一半的人不知道将药品返还至医疗机构的指导原则。虽然69.9%的人从未就处理方法向顾客提供咨询，但64.9%的人表示愿意接收公众未使用和过期的药品。从业至少六年的药剂师在咨询过程中更有可能提供处理信息（OR：2.54；95%CI：1.44 - 4.47）。相反，在诊所（OR：2.16；95%CI：1.29 - 3.62）、社区卫生中心（OR：2.07；95%CI：1.45 - 2.95）或医院工作的药剂师更有可能不愿意接收过期和未使用的家庭药品。
该研究表明，大多数药剂师，尤其是从业时间有限的药剂师，对正确处理药品的重要性缺乏认知，且未向患者提供适当药品处理的咨询。为解决这一问题，迫切需要在本科阶段加强教育、对药剂师进行持续培训，并制定明确的政策和实用指南，特别是针对诊所、社区卫生中心和医院的药剂师，以促进对未使用和过期家庭药品的接收。
