Prevalence of Self-Medication during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Peru

COVID -19 Pandemic Diseases Effect on Self-Medication Practices Among Community of Bedelle City and Its Surrounding, Buno Bedelle Zone, South West of Oromia, Ethiopia

“…Self-medication is a serious problem that makes health-related problems worse, and it is more prevalent in country like Ethiopia where healthcare systems are less effective due to long wait times at facilities, difficulty getting doctor appointments, a lack of essential medicines in stock, delays in care, and a lack of beds or space in facilities [22]. Healthcare personnel or health care professionals are now experiencing more anxiety, discomfort, and general psychological burden as a result of the long hours they have been working under challenging and stressful conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic epidemic [23] and in order to cope with the stress, pressure, discomfort, and anxiety associated with employment, it has been claimed that these circumstances lead to self-medication [24,25].…”

“…Healthcare personnel or health care professionals are now experiencing more anxiety, discomfort, and general psychological burden as a result of the long hours they have been working under challenging and stressful conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic epidemic [23] and in order to cope with the stress, pressure, discomfort, and anxiety associated with employment, it has been claimed that these circumstances lead to self-medication [24,25]. Not only health care professional, but also the community experiencing stress, anxiety, and sadness as a result of the high number of physician deaths caused by COVID-19, according to a study [23] and recently, several nations in the world have experienced the greatest rates of death due to covid-19 outbreak [22].…”

“…For instance, a study examining the prevalence of self-medication in the Nigerian population during the pandemic revealed a result of 41% [26], in Togo, the healthcare division had the highest rate of self-medication (51.9%) compared to all other sectors, with 34.1% of individuals belonging to the healthcare, air transport, police, road transport, and informal sectors reporting this [27]. On the other hand, in Peru, respondents who did not use self-medication outnumbered those who did for all medications tested, including Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen, Azithromycin, Hydroxychloroquine, Penicillin, and Antiretroviral [22]. The outcomes are nearly identical to those found in related publications.…”

“…In addition antibiotics and cold medications were some other commonly utilized medications for treatment of COVID-19 symptoms. In Pakistan, the usage of antibiotics for self-medication has often included drug like azithromycin [31] and has additionally used as a substitute for selfmedication in other nations, including Saudi Arabia [32] and Peru [22]. The WHO advises taking precautions during the pandemic but does not advise using SM for COVID-19 and related causes' symptoms [33].…”