Medical professionals must keep tabs on pharmaceutical samples and have a pharmaceutical waste removal plan in place just like they would for medical waste.
Medical offices are busy facilities that manage more than just patients; doctors and office managers must keep tabs on patient data, appointments and schedules, patient history, and planning for medical waste removal. This is only a small part of managing a medical facility, but perhaps one less talked about necessity of medical management is the pharmaceutical sample closet that medical offices keep.
Pharmaceutical representatives, also known as drug reps or pharmaceutical salespeople, provide drug information and product samples to physicians. That means physicians are in possession of many drugs, albeit in smaller quantities, but the amount of samples can quickly add up and fast.
It’s important for medical professionals to keep proper inventory in an organized closet, away from patients, and fashion a plan much as they would a medical waste removal plan.
This includes:
Routine cleanup of the sample space.
Medications all come with expiration dates. Managers should routinely check the sample supply closet for expired samples and dispose of them as they would other pharmaceutical waste.
Appointing one person to manage the samples.
Just as the saying goes, too many cooks spoil the broth. If there are too many hands rummaging in the pharmaceutical sample closet, there’s too much room for error. Offices run this risk of clutter, mismanagement, losing expired meds in the shuffle, and not knowing who is taking samples and when, not to mention why. Keep a trustworthy employee in charge of the sample closet, keep a log of medications coming in and going out, manage any and all recalls, and of course, follow the routine cleanup rule.
When it’s time to cleanup, dispose of the medication properly.
While the FDA has and still recommends flushing certain medications depending on the state, the best course of action is to research a take-back program. Much like having a medical waste disposal program ready, busy medical offices need to have a pharmaceutical disposal program in place. Just like we segregate medical waste, it’s important to separate pharmaceutical waste, too. Rather than gamble with the environment and the health of our communities, it is best to speak with a medical waste removal agent, like MedXwaste about disposing unused and unwanted medications.
In addition to designing a medical waste removal plan that includes sharps removal and disposal, MedXwaste can help busy medical offices keep their medication samples in check.
Contact MedXwaste today!
Service Areas: Long Island Medical Waste; New York City Medical Waste; Westchester Medical Waste and more!
