Medical patch disposal practices and information sources: A pharmacy customer survey before and after an information...

Promoting proper disposal of pharmaceuticals is among the most essential means to mitigate their environmental impacts. Several challenges prevent the proper disposal of medicines, such as a lack of guidance and difficulties in implementing the guidance. These issues are pronounced in the case of medical patch disposal, which is yet an unexplored subject in research. This study examined pharmacy customers' practices, information sources, and the impact of a national half-year-long information campaign regarding the proper disposal of medical patches.

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among Finnish pharmacy customers purchasing medical patches before (spring 2022, n = 176) and after (spring 2023, n = 254) a nationwide information campaign launched in autumn 2022. Data were collected through structured questionnaires administered by pharmacy students during community pharmacy internships. Disposal practices, information sources, and customer preferences were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests.

Of the respondents (N = 430), 80.1% stated to dispose of the unused patches correctly by returning them to a pharmacy, while only 40.4% did this with used patches. Approximately half (52.9%) of the respondents recalled having received information about correct medical patch disposal, with 81.7% of these considering it sufficient. However, significant disparities existed across patch types: memory disorder patch users were less likely to have received information (29.8% vs. 60.6% for opioid patches, p < 0.001) or consider it adequate (43.8% vs. 87.9%, p < 0.001). Pharmacies were both the most common actual source (73.6%) and preferred source (91.3%) of disposal information. Younger respondents (<45 years) more frequently sought information from multiple sources including package leaflets (58.1%), physicians (69.8%), and educational institutions. A slight, non-significant improvement in pharmacy return rates was observed between 2022 and 2023.

This study showed only a modest improvement in medical patch disposal practices due to the information campaign, indicating the need for longer-term communicational measures to raise public awareness and promote proper disposal practices. These measures should employ diverse information channels and target different stakeholders, including the education of healthcare professionals.