Descarte inadequado de medicamentos no ambiente domiciliar e fatores associados

Abstract

The inadequate disposal of solid waste such as pharmaceutical waste is still a problem to be overcome. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of inadequate disposal of medications at home; analyze the frequency of how medications are discarded and describe the reasons for discarding medications. This is a cross-sectional, descriptive study, carried out through interviews with users of Primary Care in the city of Araquari, Santa Catarina. A structured questionnaire was used, with questions that contemplated sociodemographic, socioeconomic data and profile of medication use and disposal. 316 participants were interviewed, 74.1% female, aged between 28 and 47 years (46.2%), complete and incomplete high school (45.2%), and who have sewage or rainwater network available in their homes (39.2%). As for the disposal of medicines, 71.2% of inadequate disposal of solid forms was detected, with household garbage being the most cited destination (53.2%), also destination of semi-solid presentations (66.8%). 41.1% of liquid presentations were discarded in domestic pipes. The most frequent reason for discarding was the expiration date of the medicines. The habit of storing leftover medications was associated with inadequate disposal in the three dosage forms evaluated.