Objective: To determine the methods that laypeople and various types of drug distributors use to dispose of leftover antibiotic and expired antibiotic in Thailand.

Materials and Methods: Questionnaires designed to elicit information about the methods used to dispose of leftover antibiotic and expired antibiotic were sent to the laypeople living in four communities of two provinces in Thailand, and to various types of drug distributors, including drug stores, private medical clinics, health promotion hospitals, and general hospitals located in all regions of Thailand. The returned questionnaires were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

Results: The majority of the 709 laypeople and some of the 182 drug stores, 76 private medical clinics, 34 general hospitals, and 69 health promotion hospitals that responded to the questionnaire said that they would dispose of leftover antibiotic and expired antibiotic as garbage, in the toilet, or into a sanitary sewer that drains into a public water source.

Conclusion: The methods that laypeople and various types of drug distributors use to dispose of leftover antibiotic and expired antibiotic are generally inappropriate, and these behaviors will result in contamination of the environment with antibiotics, which can induce the emergence of antibiotic resistance in bacteria living in the environment.

Keywords: Antibiotic disposal, laypeople, drug distributors, Thailand

Received 30 Sep 2019 | Revised 18 Oct 2019 | Accepted 21 Oct 2019