Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of Unused Medications Disposal among Patients Visiting Public Health Centers in Gondar Town, Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Table 4

Unused medicine disposal practice of respondents in public health centers of Gondar town, Northwest Ethiopia, September 2021 (n = 404).

Variable	Frequency, n (%)
Do you or anyone in your household have medications that are no longer needed?
Yes	226 (55.9)
No	178 (44.1)
If yes, what is the reason for having unused medication?
Improvement in medical condition	128 (56.7)
Change of medication by a prescriber	42 (18.6)
Intolerable side effect	34 (15.0)
Keeping for future use	22 (9.7)
What do you do with the unused medicines?
Throw away in household garbage	150 (37.1)
Flush unused medications in toilet/sink	88 (21.8)
Keep at home until expired	28 (6.9)
Burn	101 (25)
Give to friends or relatives	15 (3.7)
Return to pharmacy	12 (3)
I do not know what to do	10 (2.5)
What do you do with the expired medicines?
Throw away in household garbage	114 (28.2)
Flush unused medications in the toilet/sink	124 (30.7)
Keep at home until expired	16 (4)
Burn	111 (27.5)
Give to friends or relatives	2 (0.5)
Return to pharmacy	19 (4.7)
I do not know what to do	18 (4.5)
Do you separate unused medicines before disposal?
Yes	272 (67.3)
No	132 (32.7)