Patient participation in a clinic-based community pharmacy medication take-back program

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Practice
• Public Health
• Environmental Health

Background:

• Unused, unwanted, or expired (UUE) medications pose safety and environmental risks.
• Current disposal practices, such as discarding in garbage or sewer, are suboptimal.
• Patient engagement in safe medication disposal programs is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess patient interest in community pharmacy drug take-back programs.
• To identify patient motivations for participating in medication disposal.
• To understand current UUE medication handling behaviors.

Main Methods:

• A needs assessment survey was administered to patients at a family medicine pharmacy.
• Participants interested in a drug take-back program received disposal envelopes.
• Follow-up surveys and telephone interviews gathered data on program participation and reasons.

Main Results:

• 61% of patients expressed interest in a drug take-back program.
• Common disposal methods included garbage (53.2%) and sewer (29.0%).
• Key participation drivers were safety concerns and environmental impact; antibiotics were the most returned drug class.

Conclusions:

• Significant patient interest exists for drug take-back programs.
• Limited awareness and continuous availability hinder program success.
• Free programs and further research on medication types and accumulation reasons are recommended.