Prevalence, Perception, and Practice, and Attitudes Towards Self-Medication Among Undergraduate Medical Students of Najran University, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Self-medication (SM) is a customary practice around the globe. Appropriate SM comes with many advantages, yet irrational SM is a concern and could lead to adverse drug events and poor health outcomes. Methods: This college-based cross-sectional study was carried out from January to March 2021 among Najran University undergraduate medical students to investigate the prevalence and practice of, and attitudes towards SM. Data were collected using a bilingual self-administered online questionnaire, which was categorized into sections, such as socio-demographic details, attitude towards SM, and practice of SM during the last six months, along with students' opinions and suggestions regarding SM. The threeitem scale was used to assess the students' attitude. IBM SPSS was used to perform the cross-tabulation, chi-squared test, and binary logistic regression. Results: Overall, 205 undergraduate medical students (58.6%) responded to the survey. The overall prevalence of SM was 60%, of which 25% used antibiotics as SM drugs. Headache (65.9%), fever (30.2%), cold/flu (31.2%), and gastric acidity (28.3%) were common illnesses for which SM was sought, using analgesics and NSAIDs (52.7%), antipyretics (13.7%), and antacid (12.7%) medications. Among the reasons for SM, the illness being minor and quick relief were frequently reported. To rationalize and improve the practice of SM, about half (48.3%) of the students suggested spreading awareness and education regarding the implications of SM and dispensing the medications with prescriptions (46.8%). Conclusion: Overall, the attitude towards SM was satisfactory. The prevalence of SM during the last six months was 60%, and antibiotics were used by 25% of students. A significant negative correlation was observed between attitudes towards and practice of SM. Although medical students of Najran University displayed responsible behavior towards SM, efforts should be made to educate them about the adverse consequences of SM, especially with antibiotics.

Prevalence of Self-Medication Among Female University Students During Examinations: A Cross-Sectional Study in Saudi Arabia

“…The principal findings of the present study revealed that 51.6% of the students normally used OTC medications during exam time. Our results demonstrated a lowered percentage of comprehension when compared with the findings of earlier studies performed in other Saudi Arabian universities [ 17 , 18 ]. These studies indicated that overall, the prevalence of self-medication among female students was 98.2% in Hail, Saudi Arabia, and the most often cited medical reasons that induced such self-medication practices were headaches (92.85%); after that came cough (37.5%), colic (31.9%), and influenza (30.3%) [ 13 ].…”

Self-Medication Prevalence and Factors Associated with Knowledge and Attitude Towards Self-Medication Among Undergraduate Health Science Students at GAMBY Medical and Business College, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia

“…This result is consistent with other similar studies of health science students in Ethiopian higher educational institutions such as Arsi University, 33 University of Gondar, 37,68 Private Health Science Colleges in Gondar, 69 and Mekelle University. 70 There are also confirming reports from Bahrain, 22 Eritrea, 39 Saudi Arabia, 71 and India 30,53,62 on the frequently used SM groups and perceived disease conditions. Similarly, analgesics and antibiotics were the two foremost self-medicated drugs in Nigerian students, 72 whereas non-steroidal analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and antipyretic drugs were the most frequently used OTC drugs for self-treating fever and headaches in Nepal.…”

Assessment of Self-Medication Practice and Its Determinants Among Undergraduate Health Science Students of College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Bahir Dar University, North West Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…According to this survey, SM use was reported to be practiced by 58.1% of the participants. Studies including university students from Egypt have found a similar incidence (62.9%), 10 Najran University in Saudi Arabia (60%), 18 University of Gondar (52.4%), 7 Mbarara University of Science and Technology in Uganda (63.5%) 16 among medical and…”