¹PAPRSB Institute of Health Sciences, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, BE1410 Gadong, Brunei Darussalam
²Department of Pharmaceutical Services, Ministry of Health, BE 3119 Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam
³Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UCSI University, Kuala Lumpur 56000, Malaysia
⁴School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Medical Science, Taylor’s University, Subang Jaya 47500, Malaysia
⁵School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, Sunway City 47500, Malaysia DOI : 10.29228/jrp.524 Medicine wastage has become a concern to the nation due to the detrimental impacts that it brings to the economy and environment. Therefore, this study aims to provide an overview of the various waste-minimizing activities performed by government pharmacists and pharmacy technicians A descriptive, cross-sectional survey was conducted from February 2022 until April 2022. The data was collected through the snowball sampling method from the respondents via online platforms. A self-administered questionnaire consisting of 4 segments was used. A total of 76 pharmacy personnel participated in this study. More than half of the participants carried out a variety of activities to reduce medicine waste throughout the stages of the medicine supply chain. 40.8% of the participants reported that prescribers could adjust and optimize the prescribed doses for patients, and 30.3% reported pharmacists would counsel the physicians on efficient prescribing practice. The respondents considered activities in the dispensing stage, particularly those associated with the pharmacy organization, the most attainable to be executed as a regular practice, whereas approaches in the prescribing phase are the most important in minimizing medication waste. Conclusion: Overall, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians have carried out a variety of activities to reduce medicine waste throughout the stages of the medicine supply chain, though other potential activities have yet to be undertaken in government pharmacies. The participants acknowledged the importance of the activities to reduce wastage; however, the feasibility of the interventions for implementation as a standard practice is still questioned. Keywords : Wastage; pharmacy; medicine; online questionnaire; sustainability; supply chain