A Cross-Sectional Survey To Evaluate Self-Medication Among Medical Students In Karachi, Pakistan

Abstract

Self-medication with non-prescription (over-the-counter) medications available in pharmacies and retail stores has become more popular in recent years. Self-medication has advantages as well as drawbacks. There are few statistics on the frequency of self-medication among Pakistani medical students. The goal of this study was to assess the extent of self-medication among medical students. A hand-delivered descriptive cross-sectional questionnaire survey was undertaken on 400 medical students, including final-year MBBS, BDS, Pharm-D, and DPT students. Of those, 384 properly completed and examined questionnaires were returned. Data analysis was carried out using the Microsoft Excel. 68.8% of respondents admitted to using self-medication. The practice of taking medications on their own was shared by both male and female medical students. Analgesics (43.8%) and cough syrups (18.8%) were the most frequently used medications for self-medication, followed by antibiotic (12.5%) and antipyretics (6.3%). The most common reason for self-medication was a fever (59.4%) and cough (12.5%). The most frequent excuse for not visiting a doctor was that there was no need to do so because of a simple illness (28.1%), followed by the need for immediate relief (6.3%). For students, pharmacist, or chemist (50%), magazines and the internet accounted for (15.6%) of their informational sources, followed by old prescription (12.5%) and books (6.3%).