Prevalence and predictors of self‐medication drugs to prevent or treat COVID‐19: Experience from a Middle Eastern country

Elayeh, Eman; Akour, Amal; Haddadin, Randa N.

doi:10.1111/ijcp.14860

Cited by 26 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…Another study conducted in Poland highlighted such behaviors increased during lockdown ( 46 ). According to a study from Jordan, factors such as female gender, working in the medical field, and history of COVID-19 infection were reportedly associated with self-medication similar to our findings ( 47 ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Self-Medication Practices in Medical Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

Yasmin

Asghar

Naeem

et al. 2022

Front. Public Health

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Background and ObjectivesDuring the pandemic, the growing influence of social media, accessibility of over-the-counter medications, and fear of contracting the virus may have led to self-medication practices among the general public. Medical students are prone to such practices due to relevant background knowledge, and access to drugs. This study was carried out to determine and analyze the prevalence of self-medication practices among medical students in Pakistan.Materials and MethodsThis descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted online in which the participants were asked about the general demographics, their self-medication practices and the reasons to use. All participants were currently enrolled in a medical college pursuing medical or pharmacy degree. Non-probability sampling technique was used to recruit participants.ResultsA total of 489 respondents were included in the final analysis. The response rate was 61%. Majority of the respondents were females and 18–20 years of age. Self-medication was quite prevalent in our study population with 406 out of 489 individuals (83.0%) were using any of the drugs since the start of pandemic. The most commonly utilized medications were Paracetamol (65.2%) and multivitamins (56.0%). The reasons reported for usage of these medications included cold/flu, or preventive measures for COVID-19. The common symptoms reported for self-medication included fever (67.9%), muscle pain (54.0%), fatigue (51.7%), sore throat (46.6%), and cough (44.4%). Paracetamol was the most commonly used drug for all symptoms. Female gender, being in 3rd year of medical studies, and individuals with good self-reported health were found more frequent users of self-medication practices.ConclusionOur study revealed common self-medication practices among medical and pharmacy students. It is a significant health issue especially during the pandemic times, with high consumption reported as a prevention or treating symptoms of COVID-19.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Self-Medication Practices in Medical Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

Yasmin

Asghar

Naeem

et al. 2022

Front. Public Health

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“…One study did not provide information on ethical approval for their survey [ 12 ]. Four studies did not justify the sample size [ 12 , 20 , 21 , 22 ]. Nine out of fourteen studies used online surveys and convenient sampling methods, which suggests that the findings may not represent the study population, thereby limiting the generalizability of the results.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence and Correlates of Self-Medication Practices for Prevention and Treatment of COVID-19: A Systematic Review

et al. 2022

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It has been suggested that the COVID-19 pandemic led to an increase in self-medication practices across the world. Yet, there is no up-to-date synthesized evidence on the prevalence of self-medication that is attributable to the pandemic. This study aimed to conduct a systematic literature review on the prevalence and correlates of self-medication for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 globally. The review was registered with the PROSPERO database. Searches were conducted following PRISMA guidelines, and relevant articles published between 1 April 2020 and 31 March 2022 were included. Pooled prevalence rate was conducted using the Meta package in R. A total of 14 studies from 14 countries, which represented 15,154 participants, were included. The prevalence of COVID-19-related self-medication ranged from 3.4–96%. The pooled prevalence of self-medication for this purpose was 44.9% (95% CI: 23.8%, 68.1%). Medications reported by studies for self-medication were antibiotics (79%), vitamins (64%), antimalarials (50%), herbal and natural products (50%), analgesics and antipyretics (43%), minerals and supplements (43%), cold and allergy preparations (29%), corticosteroids (14%), and antivirals (7%). The prevalence of self-medication with antibiotics is concerning. More public health education about responsible self-medication amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and future pandemics is required to mitigate the rising threat of antimicrobial resistance.

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“…This is similar to the results of studies conducted in Togo and Egypt where herbs and traditional medicines were most commonly used [ 31 , 37 ]. This differs from the prevalent use of pain relievers [ 36 ] and antibiotics [ 5 , 33 ], ivermectin [ 14 , 38 ], vitamins and supplements [ 30 , 31 , 35 ] and antimalarials [ 30 ] as documented in other studies. In Nigeria, herbal treatments are usually patronized for the treatment of various ailments [ 39 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 75%

Prevalence, pattern and predictors of self-medication for COVID-19 among residents in Umuahia, Abia State, Southeast Nigeria: policy and public health implications

Amuzie

Kalu

Izuka

et al. 2022

J of Pharm Policy and Pract

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Background COVID-19 has led to restrictions on movements and lockdown measures, which have resulted to higher utilization of over-the-counter drugs compared to prescription-only drugs. This study determined the prevalence, pattern and predictors of self-medication for COVID-19 prevention and treatment. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted between October and November 2021 among the residents of Umuahia, Abia State. The respondents were selected using a snowball sampling technique, and a self-administered semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data on the variables via Google forms. Descriptive, bivariate and multivariate analyses were done using IBM SPSS version 26. The level of significance was set at 5%. Results A total of 469 respondents participated in the survey. The overall prevalence of self-medication for COVID-19 prevention and treatment was 30.3% (95%CI: 26.7–34.1). The most commonly used medication was herbal products (43.7%). This was mainly self-prepared (41.5%). The major source of information for self-medication was from family members (39.4%). The majority of the respondents reported fear of isolation (76.3%), followed by fear of stigmatization (75.7%) as the triggers of self-medication. Older age (aOR = 1.87, 95% CI: 1.11–3.13), lower educational status [No formal education (aOR = 3.78, 95% CI: 1.28–11.19)], [Primary education (aOR = 2.15, 95% CI: 1.17–3.097)] and perception to cost (aOR = 2.29; 95CI: I.24–4.24) were the predictors of self-medication. Conclusion Every one in three residents of Umuahia, Abia State, practiced self-medication for COVID-19 prevention and treatment. Some economic and socio-demographic factors were significantly associated with self-medication. We recommend intensifying public awareness campaigns on the risk of self-medication.

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Prevalence and predictors of self‐medication drugs to prevent or treat COVID‐19: Experience from a Middle Eastern country

Cited by 26 publications

References 32 publications

Self-Medication Practices in Medical Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

Self-Medication Practices in Medical Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

Prevalence and Correlates of Self-Medication Practices for Prevention and Treatment of COVID-19: A Systematic Review

Prevalence, pattern and predictors of self-medication for COVID-19 among residents in Umuahia, Abia State, Southeast Nigeria: policy and public health implications

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