The identification of the reasons for medication return in Outpatient Pharmacy, CTC UiTM Sungai Buloh

Recently, we have been exposed to a lot of news on newspaper and television regarding a large amount of medication that was returned to pharmacy in hospitals. The cost of buying the medicines from the manufacturer is high while the cost for the patients to get the medicines from the pharmacy is very low and affordable. Unfortunately, for some unknown reasons those medications that were given to the patients are returned back to the pharmacy. The amount of medication return in outpatient pharmacy in CTC UITM Sungai Buloh was also high. The type of medication return includes tablets, capsules, insulin and inhaler. A study conducted in Hospital Tuanku Jaafar, Seremban from June to November 2007 recorded that a total of 131,098 pills were collected from volunteers at the pharmacy counter, with an average 21,850 pills per month. The total cost which was lost or wasted was MYR59, 566.50, with the average wastage being MYR9, 927.75 per month. 1 Instead of observing this phenomenon, we decided to conduct a study regarding the identification of the reasons for medication return in outpatient pharmacy in CTC UITM Sungai Buloh. This research study is important and will benefit the pharmacist in the future by analyzing the data that we have collected from our study subjects. Our study subject is the visitor of the outpatient pharmacy in CTC UITM Sungai Buloh. They were chosen randomly and were given a set of questionnaire to be answered truthfully. The main focus of this study is the relation between their demographic factors, use and awareness on the use of medicines, medication compliance and awareness of the medication return program. We managed to collect 97 out of 100 set of questionnaire that has been filled and key in the data in the SPSS software version 23. We found out that reasons for medication return are because patients• condition has resohed and the treatment of the disease has been changed. The data that has been interpreted will find out other factors that causes medication return among Malaysians.