Assessment of Knowledge,Attitude and Practice of Household Disposal of Unused and Expired Medications in Dodoma City.

Banaga, Darlin Kokwenda (2020) Assessment of Knowledge,Attitude and Practice of Household Disposal of Unused and Expired Medications in Dodoma City. Masters thesis, The Open University of Tanzania.

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Abstract

The improvement of healthcare systems has brought the subsequent increase in people’s access to medications. This increased access has raised the question of how well individual households are well equipped in handling the subsequent rise in medical waste. The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of household disposal of unused and expired medications in Dodoma city. The study was a descriptive, cross-sectional survey, conducted through face-to-face interviews using a pre-validated structured questionnaire. The study has found that knowledge is lacking amongst a majority of respondents; where 83% of the respondents reported having not received any information on safe disposal practices, while 72% admitting to not have read and followed disposal instructions. 62% of the respondents perceive that lack of adequate information on safe disposal practices is a precursor to the risks and negative consequences of unused medicines. The study also found that the most preferred method of disposal was throwing into garbage bins. Research finding indicates that knowledge and attitude towards safe disposal practices by category did not differ across most of the demographic characteristics in this study (p>0.05), statistical significance was found when comparing awareness to the gender of the respondents (p=0.036), again when participants' practice of reading instructions of disposing drugs was compared to their gender identity (p =0.024). There is a need to develop a safe disposal program to medicine consumers, creating awareness about proper disposal methods and the impact of pharmaceuticals on the environment. This study provides better household disposal options of unused and expired medicines while bridging the knowledge gap that exists at the household level. Keywords: knowledge, Attitude, Households, Environment.

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