Awareness and beliefs of community pharmacists on disposal of unused and expired household medications in Indonesia: a cross-sectional study

Abstract Objective To assess the awareness and beliefs of community pharmacists regarding the disposal of expired and unused household medications in Indonesia. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted through convenience sampling. All pharmacists participating in a virtual training event were invited to take part in a self-administer voluntary online survey. A translated and validated questionnaire was used to assess awareness about the harm caused by improper disposal and the beliefs of the best location for collecting expired and unused household medications. Subsequently, demographic data such as age, gender, education level, and work experience of pharmacists were obtained through self-reported data. The characteristics of pharmacists and the outcomes were summarized using descriptive analysis. Correlation analysis was carried out to determine the association between sociodemographic variables and outcomes. Key findings A total of 202 pharmacists completed the survey (response rate: 96.2%). The majority were female (83.2%) and the mean work experience was 4.7 years. Approximately 86% of pharmacists were aware of the environmental harm caused by improper disposing of expired and unused household medications, and 98% acknowledged their role in preventing such risks. Approximately 70%–80% of the respondents believed that community pharmacies were the best location for the collection of expired and unused household medications. No significant associations were found among age, gender, education level, and years of experience and the outcomes. Conclusion Almost all pharmacists were aware of the risk of improper disposal of expired and unused household medications and acknowledged their responsibilities to protect the environment. The strong inclination of pharmacists to select pharmacies as collection points for expired and unused medications strongly advocates for the implementation of medication take-back programs in Indonesia.