Published Paper Details:

Background: Most of the medicine users remain unaware about the disposal of unused and expired medicines. The aim of this study was to know the disposal practices of this unused and expired medications in general public in south Delhi. Method: This was a descriptive cross sectional survey conducted online by using a pre-validated questionnaire. The responses collected were checked for accuracy and SPSS version 23 was used for the statistical analysis. Result: Response from a total of 393 individuals was collected. The respondents belonged to different professions. The study found that the majority of respondents, about 93% of them, had some kind of unused and expired medication while about 80% of the respondents admitted to stocking of medicines for future use. Among the respondents 14% said that they have unused medication because there was a change of medication and 28% said that they shared their medication with friends and family. 82% of the respondents discarded the unwanted medications in to the dustbins. Almost the entire sample (98%) felt that improper disposal of unused and expired medication can have an adverse effect on the environment. Conclusion: The study indicates that the level of awareness among the general population of south Delhi regarding the disposal practices of unwanted medications is low, and there is a need for an appropriate method for disposal of unwanted medication. Hence, guidelines on safe methods of collection and disposing of unused medication needs to be introduced.