scholarly journals ANALYSIS OF SELF MEDICATION PRACTICES

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (05) ◽  
pp. 608-613
Author(s):  
Shumaila Humayun ◽  
Warda Imran ◽  
Iram Naheed ◽  
Nazish Javid ◽  
Misbah Hussain ◽  
...  

Background: Worldwide practice of self-medication is increasing and due to lackof awareness emphasis is put on counseling of general public. Aim: To assess the practices ofself-medication among general public. Design: Descriptive cross sectional study. Place andduration of study: Fauji Foundation Hospital, Rawalpindi from February 2015 to September2015. Methods: Two hundred and fifty five attendants accompanying patients in general OPDof Fauji Foundation Hospital completed a self-administered questionnaire translated in urdulanguage for this study. Results: Out of 255 study participants, 168 (or 65.9%) practiced selfmedication.The prevalence was found highest among 25 to 38 years old (70.2%) and wasalmost equally distributed in males 65 (65.65%) and females 103 (66.02%). The main reasonsfor self-medication were lack of time (43.45%), and high doctor fee (35.71%).Factors influencingthis practice were age, employment, income and the education level. Conclusions: The studyrevealed that prevalence of self-medication was high among study population. Majority ofrespondents practiced self-medication for minor ailments and to get quick relief, or to avoidhigh doctor fee. Pharmacies are a big source of providing drugs for self-medication. Thereis need for healthcare professionals to educate the general public about the hazards ofinappropriate medicine use, and there should be restrictions on over-the-counter sale of drugswithout doctor’s prescription.

Author(s):  
Amar Fathi Mohamed Khalifa ◽  
Yasser Nabil AlKhudairy ◽  
Adel Ahmed Algahtani ◽  
Bandar Mohammed Abduljabbar ◽  
Fahad Majed Aldawsari ◽  
...  

Background: Over-the-counter-drugs (OTC) are drugs that can be obtained by patients without a prescription from a physician. In Saudi Arabia, it has been reported that more than half of university students practiced self-medication and used OTC drugs. Methods: An institutional-based cross-sectional study, among medical and non-medical students in Riyadh. The sample size was 421, by systemic random sampling. A pre-coded pre-tested online questionnaire was used. Data was analyzed using SPSS V 23. P-value ≤ 0.05 was considered significant. Results: There was no significant relationship between what the participants were majoring in and the usage of OTC drugs (p value= 0.373). Gender also had no relation with the use of OTC (p value= 0.168). Panadol appeared as the most commonly used OTC drug 62.9% for the relief of the most commonly mentioned factor which is headache 50.12%.  Conclusion: Medical education didn’t have much of an effect on the use of OTC drugs. Moreover, professional guidance or advice was not considered most of the time for taking OTC, but the majority of respondents portrayed good behavior towards usage of OTC.


1969 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 644-647
Author(s):  
SARA GUL ◽  
ATIF HUSSAIN ◽  
KASHIF UR REHMAN KHALIL ◽  
IMRANULLAH ◽  
MUHAMMAD ISHTIAQ ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND: Hypertension is one of the common non communicable disease and is reported to beprevalent in 20% to 50% of the adult population, hypertension is one of the major contributor ofmortality and morbidity in developing and developed countries. The cross-sectional descriptive studywas formulated to find the prevalence and to assess different etiological factors of hypertension.MATERIAL & METHODS: This cross-sectional study among 400 adults of age 25-75 years wasconducted in months of June to December 2014 in Phase 5, Hayatabad Peshawar. A detailed structuredproforma having important questions was used to collect important data regarding various variables.RESULTS: Our study results showed that 22.75% of the study people were hypertensive i.e. 10.25% ofmales and 12.5% of females; and the prevalence of hypertension showed positive association withadvancing age. Out of all respondents; 60.25% were males while 39.75% were females; 28.5% weresmokers; 5.25% consume predominantly meat; 32.5% were obese & overweight; 36.75% checked theirB.P regularly; and 19.75% had positive history of hypertension in family.CONCLUSION: We conclude that hypertension prevalence was high among our study population andwas associated with various modifiable and non modifiable risk factors thus population based preventivestrategies are needed to control and prevent hypertension.KEY WORDS: Hypertension, Age, Diet, Smokers, Hayatabad, Peshawar.


2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nastaran Niroomand ◽  
Mohsen Bayati ◽  
Mozhgan Seif ◽  
Somayeh Delavari ◽  
Sajad Delavari

Background: Self-medication could be risky behavior and has negative effects. While Over the Counter (OTC) drugs are available at drugstores, the behavior has become prevalent among the general population. Objective: This study aimed at surveying self-medication behavior among medical sciences students of Shiraz, Iran. Methods: A sample of 396 students from medical, paramedical, and health sciences disciplines were included in this cross-sectional study. They were asked to fill a questionnaire about their demographics and socioeconomic status, medication usage and self-medication in the last six months, information about the correct use of medication, and information about negative results of selfmedication. Data were analyzed using chi-square, t-test and logistic regression model using R statistical software. Results: Almost 72% of participants reported self-medication in the past sixth months. The main reasons included trust in their own diagnosis (59.9%), mildness of the disease (56.6%), and having previous experience about the disease (56%). Cough or cold (84.5%), headache (66.3%), and body pain (60.2%) were the most frequent diseases that led to self-medication. The majority of the participants (77.7%) reported they select their medicine on their own decision. Furthermore, self-medication was highly related to having medicine stock at home (OR=2.692), having less information about negative results of self-medication (OR=0.835), and more non-syllabus study time (OR=1.041). Conclusions: Although, medical science students have information about the treatment of illnesses, they should be more informed about negative results and side-effects of self-medication. They should also share their knowledge with society to decrease self-medication.


Author(s):  
Gayatri Aseri ◽  
Sudesh Agrawal

Background: This study was carried out to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of contraceptive methods among women attending a tertiary care hospital in Western Rajasthan.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the department of obstetrics and gynecology, PBM and the associated group of hospitals, attached to Sardar Patel Medical College, Bikaner, Rajasthan, India. Total 500 married women between age group 15-49 yrs were included. These all women interviewed using a structured questionnaire after approval of the hospital’s ethical committee.Results: Total 500 women interviewed for their knowledge, attitude, and practices about contraception. Out of which, 402 (80.4%) women had some knowledge of at least one contraception method at the time of the study.  The most common sources of information about contraception were husband and family member. Amongst the various contraceptives most commonly known was condom (78.4%). Only 265 (53%) women were practicing contraception at present. Most commonly used contraceptive was condom (40.8%). The most common reason for the non-practice of contraception was need of more child or male child in 34.8% families followed by opposition from in-laws (12.4%).Conclusions: Literacy was positively associated with family planning related knowledge and practices. Preconception knowledge and practices about contraception are poor in our study population. Many of the women were getting MTP pills over the counter without consulting to health care persons and then later presents with complications.


2007 ◽  
Vol 41 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 1249-1255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdelmoneim I Awad ◽  
Idris B Eltayeb

Background: In many developing countries, up to 60–80% of health problems are self-medicated. Objective: To estimate the prevalence of self-medication with antibiotics and/or antimalarials and identify factors promoting such use among university students in Sudan. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was performed, using a pretested questionnaire on a sample of 1300 students selected from 5 universities in Khartoum State, Sudan. Results: Eight hundred ninety-one (79.5%; 95% CI 77.0 to 81.8) students from the study population had used antibiotics or antimalarials without a prescription within 1–2 months prior to the study. Four hundred ninety (55%; 95% CI 51.7 to 58.3) of the respondents stated that they had used antibiotics, 39 (4.4%; 95% CI 3.2 to 6.0) had used antimalarials, and 362 (40.6%; 95% CI 37.4 to 43.9) had used both. Overall, self-medication with antibiotics or antimalarials was significantly more common among students 21 years of age or older compared with those 20 years of age or younger (OR 1.55; 95% CI 1.15 to 2.09; p = 0.004) and among students attending private universities compared with those attending public universities (OR 1.42; 95% CI 1.04 to 1.95; p = 0.028). Self-medication with antibiotics followed a simitar pattern, which was significantly more common among students 21 years of age or older (OR 1.36; 95% CI 1.03 to 1.81; p = 0.03) and private university respondents (OR 1.52; 95% CI 1.15 to 2.02; p = 0.003). Self-medication with antimalarials was found to be significantly less common among females (OR 0.76; 95% CI 0.59 to 0.97; p = 0.028) and higher among the 21 years or older age group (OR 1.84; 95% CI 1.42 to 2.40; p < 0.001), The most common reason indicated for self-medication was the respondents’ previous experiences with similar ailments. The main source of drugs was community pharmacies. Conclusions: The prevalence of self-medication with antibiotics/antimalarials among undergraduate university students in Khartoum State is high. Our findings highlight the need for planning interventions to promote the judicious use of antibiotics/antimicrobials.


Author(s):  
Harish B. R. ◽  
Bharath J.

Background: Nomophobia (no mobile phobia), is the fear an individual gets if he is out of mobile phone contact due to no network, has run out of balance or run out of battery; the persons gets anxious, which adversely affects the concentration level of the person. Since the younger generation is the latest consumer of the mobile phones and the under 25 year age group in professional colleges like medical colleges use mobile phones quite frequently this study was conducted to determine the prevalence of nomophobia in the undergraduate students of Mandya Institute of Medical Sciences, Mandya.Methods: This was a cross sectional study conducted at Mandya Institute of Medical Sciences during May 2018 to June 2018. All undergraduate students were included i.e. same as study population (n=450). Data collection was done during June 2018 using structured questionnaire.Results: Mean age of the study participants was 20.1±1.3 years. Majority of the study population were hostelites. Approximate amount of money spent on last recharge/last postpaid bill was INR 354.1±185.0. Main reasons for using smartphones were ‘to call family members’, ‘using internet for academics’ and ‘for social networking’. Prevalence of moderate to severe nomophobia among the study population was 99.0%. No statistical significant difference was observed between gender and nomophobia.Conclusions: Prevalence of nomophobia among undergraduate medical student was 99.0% and majority had moderate level of nomophobia. There was no association between nomophobia and gender, place of present residence, amount of money spent on last recharge. 


Author(s):  
P. Shirley ◽  
Balaji Arumugam ◽  
E. Suganya ◽  
M. Gowthamraj

Background: Nowadays the teens playing outdoor games are difficult to be seen and of course, they play all these games not in reality but in a screen using video games. The biggest revolution in electronic world has put our teens more addicted towards video games which not only affect their academic performance but also have impact on their behaviour and health. The objectives of the study were to assess the pattern of video game usage among the study population; to determine the influence of video game in behaviour of the study population.Methods: The study was conducted as a cross sectional study during January and February 2018, among medical students of tertiary care hospital, Chennai. The data was collected using preformed pretested questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS 21.Results: Out of 211 study participants, majority 168 (80%) were males. Around, 97 (45.9%) participants, liked to play during night hours and most 114 (54.1%) of them preferred adventure and racing games. The change in behavioral patterns like, skipping sleep 20 (25.3%), using bad words 22 (27.8%), betting 40 (50.6%), risky stunts 38 (48.1%) were observed. Around half of the participants 97 (46%) were giving complaints of various health problems like finger pain, 72 (34.1%) wrist pain, 63 (29.8%) neck pain, and 54 (26%) eye pain due to usage of video games.Conclusions: The behavioral patterns explored in this study are alarming which suggest that this age group has to be sensitized on the self control to use the video games. 


Author(s):  
Kevin A. John ◽  
Poonam R. Naik

Background: Medical students have been reported to suffer from higher perceived stress compared to general population and students in the other academic fields. The objective of the study was to estimate the prevalence of stress and to identify the potential stressors among undergraduate medical students using perceived stress scale (PSS).Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among 301 undergraduate medical students at a private medical college in Dakshina Kannada district, Karnataka. The extent of the stress was assessed using PSS-10 and a questionnaire was used to identify the potential academic, psychosocial and environmental stressors.Results: The mean PSS score was found to be 26.34±3 in this study. Moderate stress was observed in 68% of the study participants. The PSS score was higher among the 2nd year MBBS students. Stress was observed more among female medical students (74%). Inadequate study leave (92.4%), vastness of academic curriculum (84.1%), poor quality of food in mess or home (70.4%), accommodation away from home (60.1%) and high parental expectations (48.5%) were found to be the potential stressors in this study.Conclusions: The study results thereby highlight the need to plan tailored interventions to address the various stressors and prevent stress among the medical students. 


Author(s):  
Hemant V. Talanikar ◽  
Jayshree J. Upadhye

Background: Acne is most prevalent in adolescent girls. Self-medication for acne is most common in medical students. This study was done to evaluate the knowledge, reason, perception and pattern of self-medication for acne among undergraduate medical students.Methods: A cross-sectional study included medical students of the second phase and final phase (part I and part II). A pretested questionnaire was given to them which included questions on knowledge, attitude and practice about self-medication for acne.Results: In present study, out of 200 girls, 142 (71%) girls were affected with acne while 58 (29%) were not affected by acne. A112 (56%) girls were using allopathic medicines, 32 (16%) girls were using homeopathic medicines, 28 (14%) girls were using ayurvedic medicines while 28 (14%) girls were using other non-specific things. clindamycin was used by 104 (52%) girls, adapalene + benzoyl peroxide gel was used by 26 (13%) girls, clindamycin + nicotinamide gel was used by 12 (6%) girls, toothpaste was used by 42 (24%) girls while Aloe vera gel was used by 76 (38%) of girls. The reason for self-medication was mild nature of illness in 130 (65%)  of girls, 96 (48%) girls did it to save the time, over the counter availability of medicines was the cause in 88 (44%) of girls, getting medicines from their previous prescription was seen in 52 (26%) of girls, 64 (32%) of girls did it to save the cost of consultation, 44 (22%) did it after getting knowledge from pharmacology book while 30 (15%) of girls felt embarrassed to tell their own symptoms.Conclusions: Self-medication for acne is quite high among medical students. Self-medication is part of self-care so it should be encouraged for minor illness. But should be based on thorough knowledge and restricted to over the counter drugs.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 153-159
Author(s):  
Bindu Malla ◽  
Deepti KC

Background: Self-medication of the over-the-counter (OTC) drug is practice all over the world. Although appropriate self-medication practice can address minor illness and is time and cost-effective, it can promote irrational use of medicine; prolong the illness, drug dependency and abuse. Medical students are the future medical practitioners and play the crucial role in counseling the patients. Therefore, the present study was conducted to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of self- medication among undergraduate students. Methods: An institution based descriptive, cross sectional study was conducted after ethical approval was taken from the Institutional ethical committee of Gandaki medical college teaching hospital and research center (GMCTHRC) and data was collected from May to July 2018. Descriptive and correlation analysis were done with the data. The results were expressed in percentages. Results: Among 115 respondents, 60.9 % (70) were female and 39.1% (45) were male students. Majority of respondents (94.8%) believed that instruction on the label of the drugs should be followed and 78.3% respondents agreed that OTC drugs could interact with other prescribed drugs. However, only 53.9% respondents knew that OTC drugs were Group Ga drugs in Nepal. Despite good knowledge and attitude only 37.4% students had good practice in the rational use of the OTC drugs. Moreover, Antipyretic and analgesic drugs were the most commonly used drugs. However, only 36.84% respondents (p<0.05) knew about the correct dose and duration to take the drugs. Conclusions: We concluded that first year medical and dental should be motivated to use their knowledge into practice.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document