Medicine vendors: Self-medication practices and medicine knowledge

Abstract

Background:Medicine vendors fill the gap created by inadequate skilled professionals required for medicine procurement, storage, and distribution in developing countries.Aim:To evaluate self-medication practice and medicine knowledge among medicine vendors and to determine if a relationship exists between both.Materials and Methods:A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted, using a pretested questionnaire on 236 medicine vendors in Jos, Nigeria, sampled through a two-stage stratified design. Data collected were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 16, and the chi-square test was used to determine the association between variables.Results:Self-medication was common (75.4%) among respondents and was not associated (P>0.05) with any of the demographic characteristics studied. The classes of medicines commonly used by respondents for self-medication were analgesics (31.4%), anti-malarials (22.6%), multivitamins (17.7%), and antibiotics (11.25%). A knowledge assessment test revealed that only 34.3% of the respondents had adequate knowledge. There was no significant (P>0.05) relationship between self-medication practice and medicine knowledge, among the respondents. However, the medicine knowledge scores were significantly (P<0.05) associated with holding a certificate in health sciences, years of experience, and the place of practice of the medicine vendors.Conclusion:The present study demonstrated that self-medication practice was high and inadequate medicine knowledge existed among respondents.

The awareness of the Jordanian population about OTC medications: A cross‐sectional study

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Self-Medication Practices in Mekelle, Ethiopia

“…This is because such drugs are applied to treat uncomplicated common illness such as headache, fever and pain. This confirms that analgesics/antipyretics are the commonly used over-the-counter medications for self-medication [16]. Over-the-counter drugs, selected and utilized properly, can be highly effective in ameliorating symptoms while avoiding trivial or unnecessary physician office visits and more expensive, but not always more effective, prescription drug use [7].…”

Study of knowledge, attitude and practice of self medication among health care workers at MC Gann Teaching District hospital of Shivamogga, India

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