Abstract
Objective: Self-medication is a common practice and an important health issue worldwide. The aim of this study was to determine the percentage of self-medication practice, patterns of use, self-medication attitudes, and to explore the occurrence of side effects resulting from self-medication practice among the adult population in Selangor, Malaysia.Methods: This cross-sectional survey used a validated questionnaire administered to adults 18 y and above residing in Selangor.Results: A total of 401 completed questionnaires were analyzed. The majorities of the participants were Malay (91.5%) and went to college or university (89.3%). One-third self-medicated in the past two weeks prior to the survey. Self-medication was significantly associated with age (p=0.009) and race (p=0.038). Among the respondents, 83.8% would search for information before practicing self-medication. Modern healthcare professionals (58.4%) and the internet (47.1%) were the most common source of information about drugs for self-medication. The main reason for self-medication was the illness perceived as minor (79.1%). Two-thirds of the respondents (66.6%) had a satisfactory attitude towards self-medication practices.Conclusion: The public needs to be better informed on responsible self-medication to ensure safe, effective, and rational use of medicines.
Highlights
Self-care is an approach taken by individuals to establish and maintain health as well as to prevent, and treat illness
A total of 401 of the adult population were included in the final analysis
The percentage of self-medication practices among the adult of the study population is comparable to studies conducted in other developing countries such as China, Ethiopia, and Jordan
Summary
Self-care is an approach taken by individuals to establish and maintain health as well as to prevent, and treat illness. Selfmedication is a part of self-care and can be defined as the selection and use of medicines by individuals to treat self-recognized illnesses or symptoms [1]. The factors influencing self-medication reported include low perceived the seriousness of the disease, high costs of visiting a doctor, lack of time to visit a doctor, and easy access [4,8]. This practice is linked to many possible benefits [10] and risks [10,11,12]
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