Self-medication among health care workers in a tertiary hospital in Southern Nigeria: knowledge, attitude, and practices

Prevalence, practice, determinants and adverse effects of self-medication among young people living in a suburban community of Ekiti, Nigeria: A community-based cross-sectional study

Objectives

Health hazards such as adverse drug reactions and prolonged morbidity are fallouts of self-medication among young people in sub-Saharan Africa. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence, practice, determinants, and adverse effects of self-medication among young people living in a suburban community of Ekiti, Nigeria.

Methods

This survey was a descriptive, cross-sectional study of 602 young people aged 16-24 years., who were randomly selected in the community. A predesigned self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. The study was conducted from 1st March to 31st May 2023. The independent variables measured include the sociodemographic characteristics, while the dependent variables are the practice of self-medication and factors that predisposes to self-medication. The general characteristics of the participants were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The categorical variables were reported as frequency distribution and proportions with 95% confidence intervals and were compared using the Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test. A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results

Over 30% (31.7%) of the participants engage in self-medication. A larger proportion of the people who practiced self-medication lived a trekking distance of less than 1 km from the nearest health facility with a doctor (p = 0.044). The practice of self-medication was statistically related with being a student when compared with gainfully employed and unemployed people (p = 0.006). Fever (39.8%), abdominal pain (17.3%) and headaches (16.2%) were the topmost three ailments that necessitated self-medication. Antimalarials (44.0%), antibiotics (25.1%), and antipyretics (16.8%) were high on the list of drugs used for self-medication. Headache (34.0%) was the most common adverse reaction from self-medication among the participants studied.

Conclusion

Adverse reactions and drug addiction were negative fallouts of self-medication, which can affect the health of young people as they grow into adulthood. Therefore, monitoring of drug outlets must be taken seriously by government agencies to prevent the worsening of the negative effects of self-medication.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice towards the Use of Over-the-Counter Medicines: An Online Survey among Bruneian Adults amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

Globally, self-medication has increased, where 25% of adults use OTC medicines. This research is intended to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice regarding OTC medicines among adults in Brunei Darussalam. An online cross-sectional survey was performed using a questionnaire adapted from similar research conducted among students in Brunei Darussalam. A total of 364 responses were collected, where the median age of the study participants was 23 years. The mean knowledge score was 7.3 out of 9, with most respondents (77.7%) having good knowledge of OTC medicines. Almost all (92.9%) showed a positive attitude towards OTC use. A statistically significant difference (p ≤ 0.05) was observed in attitude scores between age groups and education levels. Most of the study participants (88.2%) have practiced self-medication with OTC medicines, mainly due to their easy accessibility (79.4%). A small number practiced improper habits, such as consuming more than the recommended dose (6.0%) and not checking the expiry date (0.5%). The practice of self-medicating with OTC medicines can be advantageous when patients fully know the medications and nature of their disease. Knowledge of proper OTC medicine use among adults in Brunei Darussalam is essential to avoid improper user practices and potential health hazards associated with the misuse of medications.

Self medication practices and its determinants in health care professionals during the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic: cross-sectional study

Background The exposure of health care professionals (HCP) to patients with coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) in the course of performing their professional duties may expose them to contracting the virus. This may likely increase their tendency to self-medicate for prevention or treatment of perceived infection. Aim This study determined the prevalence of COVID-19 related self-medication and its determinants among HCPs in three tertiary hospitals in Southern Nigeria. Method This was a cross-sectional study that enrolled 669 adult HCPs from three tertiary hospitals in three Southern Nigerian States using a non-probability convenience sampling method. A structured self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Data entry and analysis were done using IBM SPSS version 22. Results The mean age of the respondents was 35.6 ± 8.7 years. Two hundred and forty-three respondents (36.3%) reported having practiced COVID-19 related self-medication. The commonly used medications were ivermectin, azithromycin, vitamin C, chloroquine and zinc. Factors associated with self-medication were older age (p =  < 0.0001), being pharmacist (p = 0.03), higher income (p =  < 0.0001), previous COVID-19 testing (p < 0.001). Predictors of self medication were > 44 years (Adjusted Odd Ratio[AOR]:2.77,95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.62–4.75, p =  < 0.0001), previous COVID-19 testing (AOR = 2.68, 95% CI: 1.82–3.94, p =  < 0.0001). Conclusion About one-third of HCPs practiced COVID-19 related self-medication. HCPs that are often assumed to be health literate may not necessarily practice safe health behavior. Regular health education of the HCPs on implications of self-medications is highly recommended. There should also be formulation and effective implementation of policies that regulate purchase of medications.