ArticleBMC public health2020
"Knowledge and practices of HIV infected patients regarding medicine disposal among patients attending public ARV clinics in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa".
Article in BMC public health, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 11 citations in OpenAlex.
- Exploring pharmaceutical waste management in Southern Africa: a scoping review.Journal of pharmaceutical policy and practice · 2026Review
- Knowledge, Attitudes And Disposal Practices For Unused Medicines Amongst Adult Residents Of Bloemfontein, South Africa.Drug, healthcare and patient safety · 2026Article
- Disposal of Unused Antibiotics in Community Pharmacies in Saudi Arabia: A Mixed-Methods Study.Integrated pharmacy research & practice · 2024Article
- Modeling Predictors of Medication Waste Reduction Intention in Algeria: Extending the Theory of Planned Behavior.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Factors influencing the high rejection rates of HIV 1/2 serology samples at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital and the cost implications.Southern African journal of HIV medicine · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundRecent analysis of drinking water in South Africa found the presence of ARVs, other pharmaceutical and personal care products. The environmental and human health risk that this presents is daunting. The increased use of ARVs with poor disposal practices could be the reason for these substances being present in drinking water. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the knowledge and practices of HIV infected patients, regarding medicine disposal.
methodA descriptive, cross sectional, quantitative study that utilised a structured, self-administered, questionnaire was undertaken at 3 different public ARV clinics in the eThekwini Metro of KwaZulu Natal, SA. The variables included questions on demographics, knowledge and practices of medicine disposal of ARV and other medications. Data was captured using excel spreadsheets and analysed using SPSS version 25. Chi square tests were used to compare factors between correct and incorrect knowledge and practice groups.
resultsFour hundred and eighty four participants agreed to participate in this study, of which the majority (71.1%) were females. Over 87% of the participants knew that improper disposal of medicines were harmful to the environment with only 28.3% knowing that there were laws governing the way medicines should be disposed. Majority of participants that had unused and expired ARVs at home disposed of these medicines. The most common route of medicine disposal for ARVs was by throwing these medicines into the bin (56.4%). Only 24.2% of participants were informed by healthcare professionals about the proper method of medicine disposal. Participants who had secondary and tertiary level of education (p = 0.043) and the ability to speak English (p = 0.001) had appropriate knowledge on medicine disposal.
conclusionThis study identified that poor medicine disposal practices and lack of adequate information about the proper methods of medicine disposal were evident among the participant population. There is a need for patient education and healthcare professional intervention to ensure patients are aware of standard proper medicine disposal practices.
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Registered trials
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