Behavior of self-medication in students of the Chemistry and Pharmacy career of the Universidad Católica del Norte

Abstract

Context: Self-medication is the use of non-prescribed drugs to treat self-recognized illnesses or symptoms. It is a habitual conduct in university students that can be harmful for the health or propitiate advantages. Aims: To determine the behavior of self-medication in students of the Chemistry and Pharmacy degree program at Universidad Católica del Norte, Antofagasta. Methods: A descriptive, transversal and retrospective study was carried out. A survey was applied to 168 students, who signed an informed consent. The sample was characterized and the relationship between sociodemographic data and the type of self-medication was determined, with an CI of 95% and a statistical significance of 5% (p <0.05). Results: The highest percentages of students were female (62.5%) and were in the basic cycle (65.5%). The average age was 21.7 ± 2.7 years. The education of the parents that predominated was the complete secondary education. A total of 94.6% of students self-medicated, and of these 76.7% did so responsibly. While 93.1% self-medicated on some occasions. The main reasons for self-medication were not considered necessary to visit the doctor (30.8), to recognize the symptoms (27.0%) and to have the knowledge to treat the discomforts (22.0%). The most used pharmacological groups were analgesics (48.8%) and anti-inflammatories (28.1%). No statistically significant difference was found between the type of self-medication versus the sociodemographic data. Conclusions: A high percentage of students self-medicate responsibly using common drugs in this type of practice. However, more education on this subject should be offered to university students.