'You don't throw these things out:' an exploration of medicines retention and disposal practices in Australian homes.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Consumers most commonly discard unwanted medicines in household rubbish or drains, however, there are global concerns over the extent, environmental impact and health risks. When consumers procure or store medicines for future use, this can impact negatively on quality use of medicines and consumer safety. We sought greater insight into the extent of these practices by exploring the volume and types of medicines in Australian homes, and self-reported practices related to medicine accumulation, use and disposal. This qualitative study formed part of a larger project that included a general population survey on household medicine disposal practices.

Methods

Semi-structured telephone interviews were undertaken with a subset of respondents (n = 166) from the survey. P

SUBMITTER: Kelly F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6098630 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature