Evidence map›Paper›PMID 22279414›Full record

ArticleDrug, healthcare and patient safety2011

An exploratory study on medications in Qatar homes.

N Kheir, Ms El Hajj, K Wilbur, Rml Kaissi, A Yousif

Abstract read
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Article in Drug, healthcare and patient safety, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 40 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
40citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

40 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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  18. Parental perception of medications safe storage in the State of Qatar.Journal of family medicine and primary care · 2021
    Article
  19. Development, translation, and validation of a bilingual questionnaire on unused medications in homes.Saudi pharmaceutical journal : SPJ : the official publication of the Saudi Pharmaceutical Society · 2021
    Article
  20. Evaluation of the potential environmental risk from the destination of medicines: an epidemiological and toxicological study.Daru : journal of Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences · 2021
    Observational
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

N KheirCollege of Pharmacy, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
Ms El Hajj
K Wilbur
Rml Kaissi
A Yousif

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDrug therapy is the most often used intervention for treatment and prevention of disease. However, if used inappropriately, drugs can cause more harm than good. Improper drug storage and disposal can have a direct impact on public safety, the environment, and the health care services. The purpose of this study was to characterize medications stored in Qatar homes and to explore their methods of storage and disposal, and to identify the public's source of information related to medicines.

methodsFor the purpose of this cross-sectional exploratory study, a list of telephone numbers was generated from Qatar's telephone directory using a systematic sampling method. Individuals consenting to participate were interviewed using a multipart pretested survey instrument.

resultsData were collected from a total of 49 homes. Most respondents did not have a designated compartment or box specifically for storing medications. The majority of drugs (48%) were kept in bedrooms and a number of respondents were keeping their drugs in the fridge and in the kitchen. The most often stored classes of medicines were analgesics, antihistamines, nutritional supplements, and medications used for the respiratory system. Most respondents disposed of unwanted medicines by throwing them in the trash. In about 15% of cases, the dosage of drug taken was different from the instructions on the label. Sharing of prescription medicines was not uncommon. The majority of respondents sought information related to drugs from doctors.

conclusionThese findings raise concerns about how medications are stored and disposed of in the community. The fact that no household routinely returned unwanted medications to a pharmacy for proper disposal places the environment at risk. There is a need for more societal awareness about the safe handling and storage of drugs in the home, and about the professional role of the pharmacist.

Indexed as

disposalhomemedicationQatarstorage

Identifiers

PMID22279414
PMCPMC3264424

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.