Evaluation de la pratique de l’automédication chez les plongeurs en scaphandre autonome

Abstract

AimThe aim of the study was to evaluate drug use amongst French scuba divers. MethodsAn anonymous questionnaire was distributed to 220 people, out of which 106 responded. ResultsFifteen percent of respondents were receiving long-term medication whereas 60.33% of respondents reported taking medication only occasionally when diving. Thirty-seven percent of respondents were taking prescribed medicines. Drugs consumed occasionally included analgesics (43.5%), corticosteroids (14.5%) and antiemetics. A detailed study of aspirin and steroid consumption revealed their misuse for performance-enhancing purposes, the level of risk varying with the type of diving activity. The influence of drug use on personal performance was recognised by 72.6% of divers, but only 59.4% considered that they were putting themselves at risk by self-medicating.