Exploring the perceived factors that affect self-medication among nursing students: a qualitative study

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Public Health

Background:

• Self-medication, using medications without professional guidance, is a significant socio-health issue.
• This practice is prevalent among nursing students globally, including in Iran.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the perceived factors influencing self-medication among nursing students.
• Investigate the contextual elements contributing to this behavior.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study employing semi-structured interviews with 11 nursing students.
• Content analysis of interview transcripts to identify key themes and sub-themes.
• Ensured trustworthiness using Guba and Lincoln's criteria (credibility, transferability, dependability, confirmability).

Main Results:

• Identified four main categories influencing self-medication: educational background, disease nature, media access, and personal beliefs/experiences.
• Extracted ten subcategories, including clinical exposure, medication knowledge, perceived disease simplicity, media influence, and personal/familial experiences with treatments.

Conclusions:

• Relative awareness and clinical exposure can foster overconfidence, leading to self-medication and prescribing to others.
• Educational interventions highlighting consequences are crucial for prevention.
• Addressing internal and subjective factors can mitigate self-medication practices.