A systematic review of the knowledge, attitude and practice of healthcare professionals and healthcare professional students towards household pharmaceutical waste disposal

IF 1.8 Q3 PHARMACOLOGY & PHARMACY

Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy Pub Date : 2024-12-19 DOI:10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100556

Sheng Yuan Hiew, Bee Yean Low

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Active pharmaceutical residues introduced into the environment through irresponsible household disposal of unused and expired medication can damage nature and health. Through medication take-back programmes, these risks can be mitigated. However, healthcare professionals' neglect of their responsibility to ensure proper disposal practices has perpetuated subpar norms among the public.

Objectives

The objectives of this systematic review were to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of household pharmaceutical waste disposal among healthcare professionals and healthcare professional students as well as to compare their respective levels of knowledge, attitude and practice.

Methods

A systematic search of published articles from 2014 to 2023 in three online journal databases (Pubmed, Scopus, and Web of Science) yielded an initial pool of 10,381 records, which was narrowed down by title and abstract screening to 46 relevant publications for full-text examination and the final inclusion of 21 papers for data extraction and synthesis.

Results

The findings revealed deficiencies in academic curricula and medication disposal training, leading to inadequate knowledge and perceptions among healthcare professionals. Many healthcare professionals consider public education about safe medication disposal practices to be outside their job descriptions, leading to infrequent communication of medication disposal methods to their consumers and service users. Additionally, inadequate and inaccessible infrastructure further hinders proper medication disposal practices despite awareness of the consequences.

Conclusions

This study provides insights for policymakers and educators to address these and enhance healthcare professionals' participation in improving safe medication disposal practices. Efforts to strengthen training programmes, incorporate comprehensive education on medication disposal into curricula, and improve infrastructure for safe medication disposal are essential to effectively address the issue of household pharmaceutical waste disposal.

查看原文本刊更多论文

系统回顾医疗专业人员和医疗专业学生对家庭药物废物处理的知识、态度和做法。

背景：通过不负责任的家庭处置未使用和过期药物，将活性药物残留物引入环境中，会损害自然和健康。通过药物回收规划，可以减轻这些风险。然而，医疗保健专业人员忽视了他们确保适当处置做法的责任，使公众的标准长期低于标准。目的：本系统评价的目的是评估医疗专业人员和医疗专业学生对生活垃圾处理的知识、态度和行为，并比较他们各自的知识、态度和行为水平。方法：系统检索Pubmed、Scopus和Web of Science三个在线期刊数据库2014 - 2023年的已发表论文，初始检索到10381篇，通过标题和摘要筛选筛选出46篇相关论文进行全文检查，最终纳入21篇论文进行数据提取和综合。结果：调查结果揭示了学术课程和药物处置培训的不足，导致卫生保健专业人员的知识和认知不足。许多医疗保健专业人员认为有关安全药物处置做法的公共教育超出了他们的工作范围，导致他们很少与消费者和服务用户沟通药物处置方法。此外，尽管意识到后果，但基础设施不足和难以进入进一步阻碍了适当的药物处置做法。结论：本研究为政策制定者和教育工作者提供了见解，以解决这些问题，并加强医疗保健专业人员参与改进安全药物处置实践。必须努力加强培训方案，将关于药物处置的全面教育纳入课程，并改善安全处理药物的基础设施，才能有效解决家庭药物废物处置问题。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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