Assessment of Self-Medication Practice Among Undergraduate Medical Students In The Eastern Region, Saudi Arabia
Journal Title: IOSR Journal of Nursing and health Science - Year 2019, Vol 7, Issue 1
Abstract
Background: Self-medication is a common and regular practice of using medicines without any medical supervision by the people themselves for self-treatment. Objectives: To clarify; the prevalence, the most common self-medicated drugs and most common health conditions for which self-medication will practice, as well as to estimate the level of knowledge and attitude towards self-medication practice. Methods: A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted among undergraduate medical students in the Eastern Region, Saudi Arabia. The study included 473 medical students (293 student from medical college of King Faisal university "Al-Hassa" and 180 from Medical College of Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, "Al-Dammam"), with a mean age 22.2±2.1 years and (range of 18-26 years). Results: The overall prevalence of self-medication among studied sample was 90.5%, while the prevalence in the last 12 months before the current study was 75.5%. Self-medication was common prevalent among lower grades than higher grades. Most common class of drugs self-medicated was analgesics (59.1%), antipyretics (43.9%), antibiotics (24.3%), antispasmodics (24.1%), herbals (16.8%), and tonics/vitamins (14.7%). Most common indication for self-medication were headache (48.4%), fever (40.4%), sore throat (38.3%), and cough (24.3%). Out of 428 of respondents 209 (48.8%) were used self-medication for themselves, 107 (25.0%) for their family members, and 56 (13.1%) for their friends. Main source of medications for those self-medicated was pharmacy (70.3%). Among the total respondents, 218 (46.1%) agreed on self-medication practice and 187 (39.5%) disagreed on the practice. Two major reasons that lead to practice of self-medication among study participants were; minor illness (40.8%), prior experience of diseases (30.3%). The risk of wrong diagnosis (38.5%), adverse reaction (29.9%), delay in seeking medical advice (11.8%), were the most reasons against self-medication practice. Conclusion: Self-medication is widely practiced among undergraduate medical students, facilitated by the easy availability of drugs.
Authors and Affiliations
Yasser Awadallah Yasein, Abdulelah Othman Ali Alghamdi, Salman Sharidah Al anazi, Moataza M. Abdelwahab
Keywords
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- EP ID EP435153
- DOI 10.9790/1959-0701027382.
- Views 130
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