Awareness and Practice Towards Proper Home Storage and Handling of Opened Syrup or Suspension Medication Among Patients and Caregivers in a Public Hospital
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63719/johm.v23i1.229Keywords:
awareness, storage, handling, disposal, syrup, suspensionAbstract
Background: Proper home storage and handling of liquid medications are critical to maintaining quality, safety, and efficacy. Compared to solid dosage forms, syrups and suspensions are less stable due to high water content, which promotes microbial growth and chemical degradation upon opening. In Malaysia, data on these specific practices are lacking. This study aimed to assess awareness and practices regarding the home storage and handling of opened syrup and suspension medications among patients and caregivers, and to determine factors associated with inappropriate storage practices and with exposure to professional medication counselling.
Methods: A cross-sectional study using convenience sampling was conducted at the Outpatient Pharmacy Department (OPD) of Port Dickson Hospital from February to May 2022. Adult patients or caregivers (≥18 years) receiving liquid medications were recruited. A face- and content-validated questionnaire was used. Data were analysed descriptively, while Chi-square tests assessed associations between household size and storage practices.
Results: The response rate was 98.0% (n = 351). Although 85.5% correctly refrigerated antibiotic suspensions, improper refrigeration was common for fever (82.6%), flu (76.4%), and cough syrups (78.1%). Nearly half of the participants (49.6%) were unaware that shelf-life changes after opening, while 43.3% continued using medications until the printed expiry date. Improper disposal through household garbage was reported by 88.3%. Household size was significantly associated with retaining leftover medications [2 (4) = 144.52, p < 0.001], with larger households (> 6 members) more likely to stockpile medications for future use (58.1%). Only 28.8% reported receiving counselling on storage and handling from healthcare professionals.
Conclusion: Participants demonstrated inadequate knowledge and improper practices regarding liquid medication stability and disposal. The findings suggest that family structure heavily influences medication accumulation. Healthcare professionals must shift from focusing solely on disease to providing actionable education on “in-use” stability and safe disposal. Implementing mandatory storage-specific stickers and integrating storage education into every dispensing encounter are recommended to mitigate risks of self-medication and therapeutic failure.
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