Assessment of the association between drug disposal practices and drug use and storage behaviors

Objective: Keeping unnecessary drugs at home is a situation showing both causes and consequences of irrational use of medicine. This study aimed to evaluate the approaches of a company’s employees regarding drug storage, use, and disposal. Method: This online-based descriptive study was held in a multi-centered private-sector company in a voluntary basis. The survey assessing participants’ drug handling and storage behaviors was answered by 1121 employees from across eight provinces of Turkey in 2016. Main outcome measures were storage and disposal of unused/unwanted drugs at home in a rational way. Results: The percentage of participants who declared that they keep unused/unwanted drugs at home was 28.0%. About one-third of participants disposed their unused/unwanted drugs via the “garbage, sink, toilet, etc.”. Participants ≥30 years old and living with