Self-medication among nursing students in the state of Amazonas - Brazil

To determine the prevalence of self-medication and associated factors among nursing students.

This is a cross-sectional study with 116 nursing students from the public university in the state of Amazonas, Brazil, from March to April 2014. Data were collected using a questionnaire with socioeconomic and medicine use variables. The data were subjected to bivariate analysis and logistic regression at a significance level of 5%.

The prevalence of self-medication was 76.0%, chiefly motivated by the belief that the health condition did not require a medical appointment (46.6%). Half of the students reported pain-related complaints. The most commonly used pharmacological groups were non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (63.2%) and antibiotics (11.1%). Lack of awareness of the negative implications of self-medication was associated with self-medication (OR = 6.0).

The high prevalence of self-medication that may lead to adverse reactions reveals the students' irrational use of medicines, especially considering the role of these future professionals in patient safety.