Abstract
BackgroundThe prevalence of self -medication with antibiotics is quite high in developing countries as opposed to developed countries. Antibiotics are often taken erroneously for certain ailments, without having the appropriate knowledge of their use. This carries potential risks for the individual as well as the community, in form of several side effects such as antibiotic resistance. Therefore the prevalence of self-medicated antibiotics in developing countries needs to be studied.MethodsA descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out at six different non-medical universities of Karachi. 431 students were included in the study. Data was collected using self-administered questionnaires and analyzed using SPSS version 19.Results50.1% students reported having self-medicated themselves in the past 6 months and 205 (47.6%) reported self-medication with antibiotics. Amoxicillin was the most self-prescribed antibiotic (41.4%). Awareness of the adverse effects of antibiotics was demonstrated by 77.3% of the students and sleep disturbance was the most commonly known (46.5%) side effect. 63.1% denied having any knowledge about antibiotic resistance and only 19.9% correctly knew that indiscriminate use of antibiotics can lead to increased antibiotic resistance.ConclusionThe prevalence of self-medication with antibiotics among the non-medical university students was high despite the awareness of adverse effects. Antibiotic resistance was a relatively unknown terminology.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/2050-6511-15-74) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
The prevalence of self -medication with antibiotics is quite high in developing countries as opposed to developed countries
Prevalence of self-medication and its association with demographic factors 205 respondents (47.6%) reported using antibiotics not prescribed by a doctor in the last six months
There was no statistical significance for frequency of self-medication with antibiotics in relation to sex, marital status, year of university, household income and having healthcare expenses covered, as demonstrated by Table 1
Summary
The prevalence of self -medication with antibiotics is quite high in developing countries as opposed to developed countries. Antibiotics are often taken erroneously for certain ailments, without having the appropriate knowledge of their use This carries potential risks for the individual as well as the community, in form of several side effects such as antibiotic resistance. The prevalence of self-medicated antibiotics in developing countries needs to be studied. Studies have revealed the burden of self-medication with antibiotics to be higher in developing countries than in developed countries [2]. Self-medication may prove useful when used judiciously, it is more often used erroneously, without proper guidance and rationale. This fact is highlighted by a study conducted in Jordan, which showed that 67.1% of adults believed that antibiotics cure common cold and cough [6]. The same study highlights that 82.5% of the students are aware of some form of harm caused by self-medication [7,8,9]
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