Pharmacy student’s awareness and perception of pharmaceutical disposal and its level in tap water

Background: Improper disposal of pharmaceuticals can harm humans, animals, and the ecosystem, with studies finding residues in tap water that may affect drinking water safety. Therefore, this study aims to examine pharmacy student’s disposal practices and the association between the Respondents' Disposal Practices (RDP) with Demographic Factors (RDF), their knowledge of the impact of improper disposal on tap water quality (KII), awareness of proper disposal practices (KPD), and the availability and accessibility of disposal facilities (AAD). Methods: The questionnaire consisted of a question on RDP as the dependent variable and fifteen questions from four independent variables, namely, RDF, KII, KPD, and AAD. It was distributed online using Google Forms. Descriptive data was analysed using SPSS to investigate the association between dependent and independent variables. Results: There were 175 respondents, and 76.6% of them kept unused or expired medications. The analysis revealed that the RDP were unrelated to the RDF. However, KII and KPD were partially associated with RDP. Lastly, the AAD was strongly associated with RDP. Conclusion: Most respondents were unaware of the proper disposal of unused or expired drugs. The study recommends incorporating proper medication disposal into the pharmacy curriculum and strengthening the medication take-back programme by encouraging community pharmacies to participate in the Medicine Return Programme.