Diseño de un programa de recolección de medicamentos no utilizados y caducados de los hogares en la zona urbana de Cuenca

Abstract

Unused or outdated medicines can cause negative effects on public health and the environment. For instance, if they are stored in the household, they are available for self-medication, and if they are disposed within the regular waste, they could contaminate water sources. Therefore, the aim of this research is to design a program of recollection of unused or outdated medicines from the homes of the urban region of Cuenca-Ecuador.

First, an academic review of seven programs of recollection that are currently working in different countries and their details are in the public domain was conducted. Then, a survey of twenty-one questions (11, “levels of acceptance”; 10, “preferences”) was designed and applied to a sample of (n=358) individuals selected by purposive sampling in the Gil Ramírez Dávalos area. Lastly, medicines collected via a pilot study of four weeks in the ETAPA-EP multiservice center of Tarqui were characterized.

The results of the survey show that 95,3% of the individuals are willing to participate in a recollection program. The reviewed information about the programs and about the preferences was used to design the pilot study which gathered 2481 g of pharmaceutical waste. Among this waste, 85 different drugs were found and 27 have ecotoxicological effects registered on Wikipharma.

The results show the need and the importance of the management of pharmaceutical waste generated in the households. Finally, the optimal characteristics for a program of this sort that will encourage the proper treatment of this type of waste are described.