Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Surrounding Safe Medication Disposal in a Hospice Setting

Opioids provide important relief from pain associated with end of life and are paramount to quality care in home hospice. Aligned with the need to provide this access to care is a responsibility to support proper disposal of unused medication. Medication disposal kits are becoming more popular as an effective and environmentally friendly choice. Education and training on this topic are paramount for providers after the 2018 federal law allowing hospice staff to dispose of patient medications in the home. The goal of this study was to assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices of hospice clinical staff about medication disposal before and after an online medication disposal training. In Fall 2020, frontline clinical staff at a not-for-profit hospice completed an anonymous survey about medication disposal before and after a one-hour synchronous online training about medication disposal. Patient medical record review was conducted to determine frequency of medication disposal methods. After training, more clinical staff reported always educating patients on medication disposal at time of hospice admission (31% vs. 46%, P = 0.002) and routinely disposing of medication(s) with patients and families (73% vs. 83%, P = 0.048). This training has the potential to contribute to improved medication disposal in the hospice setting.