Abstract
Background: Practicing self-medication is common and a worrisome issue because of irrational drug use. This study aimed to evaluate self-medication knowledge and views among the final year pharmacy students in Iraq. 
 Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted from December 2018 to January 2019. A pre-validated and self-administered questionnaire was recruited to survey pharmacy students at the University of Baghdad and Al-Rafedain University College. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 20 (SPSS v. 20) software used to save and analyze the data. Results expressed as numbers and percentages.
 Results: A total of 344 students (response rate: 94.24%) with a mean age of 22.10 years included in this study. Most of them were female (61.60%). Self-medication was high in the past year (84.88%), and most of them (86.04%) got their medications from pharmacies. About (62.79%) of students used antibiotics as self-medication for a few days, although a significant number were aware of bacterial resistance. The main reasons to self-medicate were quick relief desired, convenience, and avoiding waiting at clinics. The reasons against it were a misdiagnosis, adverse effects' risk, and wrong medication use. Doctor visits sought necessary in cases of worsening symptoms, severe pain, and serious problems. Headache, cough, and diarrhea were the most frequent indications.
 Conclusion: The self-medication prevalence is high; the knowledge is moderate, and the views about the self-medication concept are generally appropriate.
Highlights
Practicing self-medication is common and a worrisome issue because of irrational drug use
Study design A cross-sectional study was conducted among a sample of the final year pharmacy students at the College of Pharmacy, Baghdad University, and Pharmacy Department, Al-Rafedain University College in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq
Descriptive analyses A total of 344 participants, 198 () students of them from the College of Pharmacy, Baghdad University, and 146 from the Pharmacy Department, AlRafedain University College
Summary
Practicing self-medication is common and a worrisome issue because of irrational drug use. The action of consuming the Over-the-Counter (OTC) and/or prescription drugs that are not medically ordered called self-medication or self-care [1]. Whenever the health problem is simple, self-medication becomes the first option among patients [2]. Self-medication may extend to the use of only prescription medications (POM) such as antibiotics [3,4]. Practicing self-care is widespread behavior among people. Allowing patients to be responsible and confident in their ability to deal with their health problems may carry a risk of rushing into self-medication [5]. The pharmacist's role was no longer restricted to the distribution of the drug and involved in multi-professional teamwork, providing healthcare [5]. The more there is selfmedication, the more prominently the role of the clinical pharmacist in choosing the right, safe, and sound OTC
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