Abstract

  Self-medication means the use of medical products by individuals to treat self-recognized disorders or symptoms or intermittent or continuous use of medications prescribed by physician for chronic or recurring disease or symptoms, the main source being over the counter. Existing literature on self-medication reveals that it is a fairly common practice in the economically deprived communities. The objectives of the present study were to estimate the frequency and study the knowledge, attitude and practices of self-medication among the adults of 25 - 40 years of age of Mevalurkuppam Panchayat. A validated and structured questionnaire was administrated to the 161 study participants by a face to face interview. Based on the calculated scores, the prevalence of self-medication and proportions of various factors contributing to self-medication were identified. The mean age of the study participants was 33.98 ± 5.819 years. The number of males and females who participated in the study were 69 (42.3%) and 92 (56.4%), respectively. In the present study, there was very high prevalence of self-medication with almost the entire population practicing some form of self-medication (98.8%). The analysis revealed that prevalence and frequency of self-medication was higher in males than females. While the participants practiced self-medication mostly for aches and pains (63.4%) and fever(62.4%), the reasons for self-medication among the study participants were cost saving (58%), convenience (42%) and lack of trust in doctor (8%). About 97% of the participants procured drugs from community pharmacies while 3% took from the previous left over prescriptions. It was observed that 49.7% of the study participants who practiced self-medication never experienced an adverse reaction, while 12.3% of them experienced adverse reactions. In the present study, 30.5% of people who practiced self-medication experienced vomiting as adverse effect followed by nausea (27.1%), rash (25.4%), vaginal thrush (22%) and diarrhea (20.3%). Lack of awareness about the harmful effects of self-medication among adults of Mevalurkuppam Panchayat and the contributing factors was uncovered. The results of the study highlight the urgent and impending need to plan and execute health awareness and education programs in Mevalurkuppam Panchayat and in general, globally. It is important to have base-line data about the drug using population of a geographic area, so that future interventions or policies can be effectively planned.

Keywords: Self-medication; OTC Over the Counter; Adverse Effect; Drug Reactions

References

1. Lowe CJ., et al. “Effects of self medication programme on knowledge of drugs and compliance with treatment in elderly patients”. BMJ6989 (1995): 1229.
2. James H., et al. “Evaluation of the knowledge, attitude and practice of self-medication among first-year medical students”. Medical Principles and Practice 4 (2006): 270-275.
3. Kumar N., et al. “Perceptions and Practices of Self-Medication among Medical Students in Coastal South India”. PLoS One8 (2013).
4. Kayalvizhi S and Senapathi R. “Evaluation of The Perception, Attitude and Practice of Self Medication Among Business Students In 3 Select Cities, South India”. International Journal of Innovation, Management and Technology 3 (2010): 40-44.
5. Balamurugan E and Ganesh K. “Prevalence and pattern of self medication use in coastal regions of south india”. British Journal of Medical Practitioners 3 (2011): 428.
6. Nsagha DS., et al. “Knowledge, attitudes and practices relating to malaria in a semi-urban area of Cameroon: choices and sources of antimalarials, self-treatment and resistance”. East African Journal of Public Health 2 (2011): 98-102.
7. Shankar PR., et al. “Self-medication and non-doctor prescription practices in Pokhara valley, Western Nepal: A questionnaire-based study”. BMC Family Practice 3 (2002): 1-7.
8. Abahussain E., et al. “Self-reported medication use among adolescents in Kuwait”. Medical Principles and Practice. Karger Publishers 14 (2005): 161-164.
9. Osemene KP and Lamikanra A. “A study of the prevalence of self-medication practice among university students in southwestern Nigeria”. Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research 4 (2012): 683-689.

Citation

Citation: Prathibha KM., et al. “A Cross Sectional Study on Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Pertaining to Self-medication Among Adults of 25 - 45 Years of Mevalurkuppam Panchayat". Acta Scientific Pharmaceutical Sciences 4.12 (2020): 58-62.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2020 Prathibha KM., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.