Non-Prescription Drug Usage Among Nursing Students

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to determine the opinions and attitudes and related factors of nursing students regarding non-prescription drug usage. Methods: This descriptive study was conducted on 368 nursing students in a nursing college who volunteered to participate in the study during the 2014-2015 academic year. The Data Collection Form, created by the investigators after reviewing the relevant literature, was used for data collection. Data were analyzed using percentage, mean, and chi-square tests. Results: The mean age of the students was 20.39±1.22. The nonprescription drug usage of the students within the preceding year was 89.9%. It was determined that the students mostly used drugs for headaches (76.7%), and analgesics (88.2%) were the most commonly used drugs. The reasons of non-prescription drug usage of the students were "the problem is not important to consult the physician" (53.2%) and "the drug has been used before" (49.2%). The affecting factors on using non-prescription drug were having had leftover drugs at home (46.8%) and having used the drug previously (40.2%). There was no statistically significant difference between the students' non-prescription drug usage and their sociodemographic characteristics (p> 0.05). Conclusion: The students' non-prescription drug usage rates were quite high in this study. Students need to be informed about rational drug use to prevent non-prescription drug usage.