{
  "abstract": "Background and Importance The majority of medicines are licensed for storage at temperatures up to 25°C, a condition carefully maintained throughout the pharmaceutical supply chain to ensure efficacy and safety. However, once medicines reach patients’ homes, temperature control can no longer be guaranteed, exposing medicines to potential degradation. Despite this, there is limited evidence regarding public awareness of proper medicine storage conditions. Concurrently, rising domestic temperatures 1 linked to climate change are increasing the risk of medicines being stored in suboptimal environments. Understanding how patients store medicines at home, and their awareness of storage guidelines, is therefore critical to maintaining medicine stability and safeguarding patient health.Aim and Objectives The study investigated how participants 18 years and older store medicines at home in England, exploring their awareness of storage guidelines.Material and Methods A prospective cross-sectional survey was conducted in August 2024 using a self-administered, mixed-method questionnaire. The tool included multiple-choice and closed-ended questions across four domains: demographics, storage behaviours, awareness of storage guidance, and engagement with healthcare professionals. Participants were recruited in August 2024 via convenience sampling according to the inclusion criteria, and no identifiable data were collected.Results A survey of 283 participants found that over two-thirds stored medicines in designated areas, most commonly kitchens (63.6%), bedrooms (32.5%), and bathrooms (18.7%) all environments prone to heat and humidity. Although most medicines were kept in their original packaging, only one in three participants regularly reviewed storage instructions, and nearly half had never received any formal guidance from healthcare professionals. While many expressed willingness to adopt correct practices, a majority (60.8%) demonstrated limited or no awareness of the risks of improper storage.Conclusion and Relevance As climate change increases the frequency of heatwaves 2 and indoor humidity fluctuations,3 these findings underscore the need for clear, consistent storage guidance in pharmacy consultations and public health messaging. Enhancing public understanding of safe medicine storage is essential to preserve medicine efficacy and ensure patient safety in a warming climate, particularly among vulnerable populations with chronic conditions or complex therapies. Integrating this topic into routine patient counselling could provide a practical and sustainable strategy to mitigate climate-related risks.References and/or Acknowledgements 1. https://www.theccc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Addressing-overheating-risk-in-existing-UK-homes-Arup.pdf2. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2020.10.0213. https://www.gov.wales/sites/default/files/publications/2024-01/factsheet-3b-considering-summertime-relative-humidity-in-older-properties.pdfConflict of Interest No conflict of interest",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, Pharmacy, Ashford, UK"
      ],
      "name": "S Coombes"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "University of Kent, Economics, Canterbury, UK"
      ],
      "name": "R Guan"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, Pharmacy, Ashford, UK"
      ],
      "name": "S Do Nascimento"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "East Kent Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Pharmacy, Canterbury, UK"
      ],
      "name": "G Hards"
    }
  ],
  "title": "6ER-020 Climate change and medicine storage: understanding patient practices and safety risks",
  "uid": "00dbeecb-94b1-525b-a529-9d103bf0b30a"
}