Abstract
BackgroundSelf-medication is the use of medication without prescription, orientation, or supervision of a physician or dentist. Self-medication might become a serious health problem. The purpose of this study was to identify the prevalence and factors associated with self-medication among first and last-year students enrolled in healthcare and non-healthcare programs.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted at Universidade Federal do Rio Grande (FURG), state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Of 830 students in the sample, 95% answered the questionnaire – 789 students enrolled in 10 undergraduate programs. Mean age was 22 ± 6.17 years. The students answered a questionnaire covering socio-economic and demographic variables, use of medication, and medication knowledge. Information was collected on the conditions treated with medication, the medications used, and attitude towards self-medication.ResultsOf 789 students, 86.4% self-medicated (88.5% of 446 healthcare students). There were no significant differences in self-medication between healthcare and non-healthcare students, nor between first and last-year students. Bivariate and multivariate analyses showed a significant association between self-medication and having children (p = 0.01), having a home pharmacy (p < 0.001) and adequate medication knowledge (p = 0.01). The most frequently used active ingredients were acetaminophen (paracetamol), dipyrone, aspirin, phytotherapic compounds, and tea. Illicit drug use was significantly associated with self-medication in the multivariate analysis.ConclusionThe fact that being a healthcare student was associated with higher medication knowledge, but not with less self-medication, suggests that medication knowledge might contribute to increase self-medication. This should be taken into account when designing educational interventions relating to self-medication.
Highlights
Self-medication is the use of medication without prescription, orientation, or supervision of a physician or dentist
Self-medication is defined by the Brazilian Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) as the use of drugs without prescription, guidance, or follow-up by a physician or dentist [4]
In Brazil, self-medication is common in the general population [5], and at least 35% of the volume of drugs purchased are for self-medication [6]
Summary
Self-medication is the use of medication without prescription, orientation, or supervision of a physician or dentist. The patterns of medication use are an important health indicator. Knowledge concerning these patterns helps identify and determine the prevalence of diseases affecting specific populations, and provides information about how therapeutic resources are used [1]. In this context, self-medication is an important issue, which may delay diagnosis and facilitate the emergence of resistant microorganisms and iatrogenic illnesses [2]. Self-medication is defined by the Brazilian Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) as the use of drugs without prescription, guidance, or follow-up by a physician or dentist [4]. All other sales are based on over-the-counter (OTC) drugs (aspirin, acetaminophen), which do not require a prescription, or drugs that require only presenting a prescription (anti-inflammatory drugs, antihypertensive drugs), that is, the buyer can show the prescription, but it is not retained at the pharmacy
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