FREITAS, M. C. A.; http://lattes.cnpq.br/8056414791003914; FREITAS, Maria Clara Araújo de.
Abstract:
Storing medicines at home is a very common practice in everyday life, and concerns about
inadequate storage conditions arise, as poorly packaged medicines can become ineffective or
have serious consequences for the user's health if taken incorrectly. Therefore, the objective of
the work was to collect data on how medicines are stored and disposed of in homes in the
Bujari community, Cuité-PB, in addition to promoting guidelines aimed at user safety. This is
an exploratory, cross-sectional descriptive study, whose sample was composed of 28 residents
of the rural community Sítio Bujarí, rural area of the municipality of Cuité-PB. The data
collection period took place between August and September 2023, using a structured
questionnaire as a resource. The research was submitted and approved by the Research Ethics
Committee of the Federal University of Campina Grande, with opinion number 6,149,789. It
was observed that all houses had medicines, with a total of 136 medicines being counted, and
that these were preferably stored in the kitchen (67,8%). Among the drugs most found in
homes, 39,0% were for the treatment of pathologies related to the nervous system. In 28,5%
of homes, the home pharmacy was within reach of children, 59,5% of the medicines did not
have a leaflet present, 44,4% were obtained by self-prescription. 50,0% reported purchasing
their medicines from private pharmacies and 82,1% said they periodically checked the
expiration date, which is why 97,7% of the medicines were valid. In relation to disposal,
67,8% said they discarded it in general waste and 78,5% stated that they had never received
information about the storage and disposal of medicines. Therefore, the role of the pharmacist
as an agent of health promotion and education and the importance of research such as this
topic is clear, seeking to promote rationality in the use of medicines, causing positive impacts
on the environment and the population's quality of life.