A população goiana frente ao descarte de medicamentos

Abstract

Introduction: With technological and scientific advances, the discovery and production of drugs has increased. With the emergence of pharmaceutical industries, medicines began to be produced on a large scale, consequently there was an increase in the generation of their waste, which needs management. Another factor that contributes to the increase in incorrect disposal is self-medication. Objective: To verify the knowledge of the Goiana population regarding the correct disposal of medicines. Methodology: A cross-sectional digital descriptive research was carried out using a form, initially approved by the Ethics and Research Committee (CEP) of the Pontifical Catholic University of Goiás (PUC GO), applied to the population of Goiás, disseminated through social networks. The compiled information was discussed through literature searches. Results: The questionnaire was available for 30 days, answered by 183 respondents. Regarding sociodemographic data, 74.4% of the participants were female and 25.6% were male. It was observed that 79.6% of respondents have doubts about how to dispose of medicines or have never received information on the subject. Discussion: This study is another one that exemplifies the situation of the population's lack of knowledge about the correct disposal of medicines. Based on Federal Decree No. 10,388, which establishes the reverse logistics of expired or disused household medicines, for human use, industrialized and manipulated, and their packaging after disposal by consumers, it is possible to better manage information on the subject, allowing better clarification for both health professionals and the population. Conclusion: It was evidenced that the disposal of medicines is carried out incorrectly by more than half of the interviewees. In this way, joint action between regulatory bodies, pharmacists and the population is necessary so that medicines and their correlates have a correct final destination, thus preserving public health and the environment.