Self-medication Patterns and Knowledge Among Undergraduate Health Sciences Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

Self-medication (SM) is a practice wherein an individual consumes medicines without consulting a physician. This growing practice can lead to serious consequences, such as adverse drug reactions or treatment failure. Evidence suggests that SM is particularly common among young adults.

To assess the patterns and knowledge of SM among undergraduate health sciences students.

The cross-sectional study was conducted on 571 undergraduate health sciences students from January to March 2023. Data on SM practices and associated factors were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. A convenient sampling method was employed to recruit the students. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics with SPSS software.

Self-medication was reported by 83.5% of participants. Knowledge of SM was satisfactory in 56% and unsatisfactory in 44%. Practice scores were unsatisfactory in 70% and satisfactory in 30%. Pharmacies (61.1%) and the Internet (53.5%) were the main information sources. Significant correlations were found between SM and chronic disease (χ² = 10.846, p = .0009) and lack of medical insurance (χ² = 84.175, p = .0001). Painkillers and antipyretics were the most commonly used SM drugs with 51.7% and 45.4%, respectively. Chronic diseases were reported by 8% of participants, of which 27.1%, 18.8%, 22.9%, and 31.2%, reported glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, hypothyroidism, asthma, and anemia, respectively.

A significant proportion of the respondents practice SM. Although knowledge of SM was satisfactory, it is recommended to be aware risks of SM among students and enforce stricter supervision on the sale of over-the-counter drugs.