ArticleExploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy2026
Patients' views and experiences about unused medications and potential interventions to reduce medication waste.
Article in Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Patients frequently end up with unused medications due to non-adherence, excessive supply, treatment changes, or early discontinuation. However, patients' views on unused medications and potential waste minimization interventions remain underexplored in low- and middle-income countries. This study aimed to explore patients' views and experiences regarding unused medications and potential solutions for reducing the amount of unused medications in homes. Methods: Semi-structured interviews ( Results: Patients' views of unused medications were both positive and negative. Positive views included potential use in future disease management, while negative views included risks of accidental poisoning, misuse, environmental pollution, and financial loss. Key factors contributing to unused medications included patient non-adherence, health system gaps, and poor patient-healthcare provider relationships. Notably, most patients disposed of unused medications in open fields. To mitigate this waste, proposed solutions focused on patient education and counselling regarding responsible use and safe disposal, equipping public health facilities with the necessary diagnostic equipment, and strengthening health care providers' technical knowledge and skills. Conclusion: Patients have mixed views regarding unused medications kept at home, and improper disposal practices remain widespread. To minimize medication waste and its associated risks, interventions should focus on improving patients' medication use behaviour. Specifically, there is a critical need for patient education and counselling on the risks and benefits of unused medications, along with strategies to strengthen patients' relationships with healthcare providers.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.