Assessment of pharmaceutical waste management at selected hospitals and homes in Ghana
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Assessment of pharmaceutical waste management at selected hospitals and homes in Ghana. / Sasu, Samuel ; Kümmerer, Klaus; Kranert, Martin.
In: Waste Management & Research, Vol. 30, No. 6, 06.2012, p. 625-630.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Assessment of pharmaceutical waste management at selected hospitals and homes in Ghana
AU - Sasu, Samuel
AU - Kümmerer, Klaus
AU - Kranert, Martin
PY - 2012/6
Y1 - 2012/6
N2 - The practice of use and disposal of waste from pharmaceuticals compromises the safety of the environment as well as representing a serious health risk, as they may accumulate and stay active for a long time in the aquatic environment. This article therefore presents the outcome of a study on pharmaceutical waste management practices at homes and hospitals in Ghana. The study was conducted at five healthcare institutions randomly selected in Ghana, namely two teaching hospitals (hospital A, hospital B), one regional hospital (hospital C), one district hospital (hospital D) and one quasi-governmental hospital (hospital E). Apart from hospital E which currently has a pharmaceutical waste separation programmr as well as drug return programme called DUMP (Disposal of Unused Medicines Program), all other hospitals visited do not have any separate collection and disposal programme for pharmaceutical waste. A survey was also carried out among the general public, involving the questioning of randomly selected participants in order to investigate the household disposal of unused and expired pharmaceuticals. The results from the survey showed that more than half of the respondents confirmed having unused, left-over or expired medicines at home and over 75% disposed of pharmaceutical waste through the normal waste bins which end up in the landfills or dump sites.
AB - The practice of use and disposal of waste from pharmaceuticals compromises the safety of the environment as well as representing a serious health risk, as they may accumulate and stay active for a long time in the aquatic environment. This article therefore presents the outcome of a study on pharmaceutical waste management practices at homes and hospitals in Ghana. The study was conducted at five healthcare institutions randomly selected in Ghana, namely two teaching hospitals (hospital A, hospital B), one regional hospital (hospital C), one district hospital (hospital D) and one quasi-governmental hospital (hospital E). Apart from hospital E which currently has a pharmaceutical waste separation programmr as well as drug return programme called DUMP (Disposal of Unused Medicines Program), all other hospitals visited do not have any separate collection and disposal programme for pharmaceutical waste. A survey was also carried out among the general public, involving the questioning of randomly selected participants in order to investigate the household disposal of unused and expired pharmaceuticals. The results from the survey showed that more than half of the respondents confirmed having unused, left-over or expired medicines at home and over 75% disposed of pharmaceutical waste through the normal waste bins which end up in the landfills or dump sites.
KW - Chemistry
KW - Verfahrenstechnik
KW - pharmaceutical waste
KW - Health sciences
KW - health
KW - hospital
KW - Sustainability Science
KW - Environment
KW - household
KW - landfill
KW - Engineering
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84862269473&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/0734242X11423286
DO - 10.1177/0734242X11423286
M3 - Journal articles
C2 - 22081380
VL - 30
SP - 625
EP - 630
JO - Waste Management & Research
JF - Waste Management & Research
SN - 0734-242X
IS - 6
ER -