Household Survey on Unused Medicines in Shiraz, Southern of Iran: Population Based Study

Background: The surveys on household medicines are crucial to get accurate information on how people can be acquired drugs, and what medications are most frequently left unused by patients[1,2]. The purpose of this study was to assess the most frequent class of unused drugs based on ATC code, and the behavior pattern of people about how these medications are disposed. Methods: The objective of this community based cross-sectional study was to document household medicine storage practices in Shiraz, a Populated city in the south of Iran during 2017-2018. A total of 1035 participants were joined in the study. A multi-stage sampling method was used to select h ouseholds. Data were collectedwith the help of a questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: Of the 1035 households in the study, 338 (32.7) stored unused medicines. The most common classes of drugs based on ATC classification found in households were Nervous system (N=79 (7.6)), Respiratory system (R05=55 (5.3)), and Ant-infectives for systemic use (J=35 (3.4)). More than half of people claimed the reason for disposalmedicines that did not use medications completely. The expired medicines were always disposed at the end of the expiry date by 436 families. Conclusion: Large amounts of expired and unused household medications accumulated in households. Also, it becomes to rise, so does the need for proper education amongst patients and health care professionals on appropriate medicines disposal in Iran

کلیدواژه ها:

Unused medication ، Household medication disposal ، Drug disposal