Percepção dos usuários do programa Farmácia de Minas sobre o descarte de resíduos de medicamentos domésticos: uma pesquisa-ação em Betim (MG)

Abstract

After the end of its use, the remaining medicines can be classified according to its origin as Household Medicine Waste (HMW) or HealthCare Waste (HCW). When not recoiled by reverse logistics, the HMW tend to be discarded in the garbage bin, sink or toilet, performing the secondary route of a subgroup of household micropollutants, the pharmacopollutants. The perception about the hazardous waste harming such as HMW by the population and the specialists does not converge. Under these conditions, it is necessary to analyze the patients' perception about their HMW generation practices, pharmacopollution and take back programs (reverse logistics), topics that were not subject of in-depth analysis among the findings. Therefore, the action research takes as subjects the patients of a home delivery program of thermostable medicines, which are not controlled, from the Public Health Systems (SUS) specialized component, named Farmácia de Minas em Casa. The general objective was to research-act on perceptions that circulate as information and knowledge about pharmacopollution and HMW reverse logistics in Betim (MG). The specific objectives were: (1) to recognize the patient HMWs generating praxis in the pharmacopollutive system and in the reverse logistics; (2) to diagnose the initial perceptions (t0) and the changes that occurred after a pilot take back program (t1) in an experimental group of patients (Betim, MG); (3) to analyze whether there is a significant difference between the perceptions of an experimental group of patients (Betim, MG) and a control one (Contagem, MG), before (t0) and after (t1) a pilot take back program. Field, bibliographic and documentary research were also used. The intervention was developed as a pilot take back program. Upon the evidences, the pharmacopollution is present in soils and water, reaching plants and animals. As in many other Brazilian cities, analyzes at the Water Treatment Plants (WTP) and Sludge (STP) from Betim (MG) do not include the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) and Endocrine Disruptors Compounds (EDC). The patient from Betim (MG) sees himself as responsible for the HMW destination, but he does not care about this subject or looks for information to act very often. Although the patients recognize the possible water and soil contamination result of the inadequate disposal, "laziness" and the lack of information were indicated as justifications for the generator's disinterest with take back programs. The number of patients who opted for the take back program in Betim (MG) increased from 35.7% (t0) to 57.1% (t1). The information access in Betim (MG) increased by 6.6 times the chance for patients to opt for a better HMW disposal and 5.4 times that they perceived the subject as relevant (when compared to Contagem, MG). Common sense affirms that popular awareness about the environment in Brazil would not bring results. It was not what the study presents