A study on knowledge, attitude and practice of over the counter drugs among 3rd year medical students of a teaching hospital in Dakshina Kannada, South India
Journal Title: IP International Journal of Comprehensive and Advanced Pharmacology - Year 2018, Vol 3, Issue 1
Abstract
Introduction Over the Counter OTC drugs are medicines available without a prescription and hence also referred to as lsquononprescription drugsrsquo These drugs include tonics iron preparations vitamin medications analgesics NSAIDS cough syrups dermatological products drugs for pyrexia laxatives etc Usage of OTC drugs can lead to unwanted drug interactions misuse abuse of drugs and ADRs So it is important to assess peoplersquos knowledge and understanding about OTC drugsMethodology A crosssectional study was conducted during October 2017 with a selfstructured and prevalidated questionnaire Study group consisted of ninety 3rd year medical students who have completed the Pharmacology course Data were analyzed using descriptive analysesResults In this study it was observed that 945 of the students were aware of OTC drugs Among 90 students 87 students 967 have used OTC drugs at least once Fever 433 followed by headache 389 were the most common illnesses for which OTC drugs used Difficulty in consulting doctor and easy availability of drugs were some of the reasons for using OTC drugs Medical books and advertisements were the most common source of information used to know about OTC drugs Most number of students 767 were aware of toxicities and interactions of drugs which could be seen because of irrational use of OTC medicationsConclusion This study shows that majority of the students were aware of OTC drugs and used them regularly Fever headache was the most common illness for seeking medication Easy availability difficulty in consulting doctor were some of the reasons for using OTC drugs Majority of the students used medical text books and advertisements as the source of information to know about OTC drugs There is also need to create awareness and educate students regarding advantages and disadvantages of using OTC drugs by the teaching faculties in the institutionsKeywords Attitude Medical students Knowledge Over the Counter Pharmacology Practice
Authors and Affiliations
Robin Shetty, Sharath Kumar K
Keywords
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- EP ID EP481707
- DOI 10.18231/2456-9542.2018.0007
- Views 80
- Downloads 0
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