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A Cross-Sectional Assessment of Self-Medication Among University Students of Lahore, Pakistan

Received: 10 November 2022    Accepted: 26 December 2022    Published: 17 January 2023
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Abstract

Background: Symptoms or ailments that a person is aware of and chooses to treat on their own are referred to as self-medication. The idea of self-medication has been influenced by awareness of individual responsibility for own health and unnecessary professional care for mild illnesses. Self-medication is common practice around the globe. Gradually, it is becoming a form of self-care. Lot of research has been done in the area and the result revealed that the self-medication is more common among the literate people as compared to the illiterate. Trend is rather prominent among the young population who tend to have more knowledge of drugs and their use, have lower risk perception, therefore are more influenced by self-medication. Objective: A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the knowledge about self-medication among engineering, arts & humanities students in Lahore during a period of 7 months (December 2018-June 2019). Methodology: A self-administered questionnaire was designed after the extensive review of previous research and was reviewed by an expert panel of professors & lecturers of clinical pharmacy of Punjab University College of pharmacy. Human ethics committee of Punjab University College of Pharmacy, University of the Punjab approved the study protocol. A total sample of 1000 students were calculated by sample size calculator. All statistical analysis was done by SPSS version 23. Results: A total of 1000 questionnaire were received with overall response rate of 63%. In this study, younger age, male, and unmarried students residing in hostels and those who have access to nearby pharmacy tended to self-medicate more than their peers with significant difference. About 43.4% of respondents followed their doctor's advice, while about 37.2% took their own advice or that of friends, family members, or the media. Conclusion: Self-medication misuse or abuse can be dangerous and endanger lives; if practiced impulsively, it may also be a health issue that requires education and attention from Pakistan's health care authorities. Future research is also required to determine how self-medication affects Lahore and Pakistan's non-medical students' health.

Published in American Journal of Health Research (Volume 11, Issue 1)
DOI 10.11648/j.ajhr.20231101.12
Page(s) 13-17
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Self-Medication Practice, Medication, Behavioural Response, Knowledge, Lahore, University Students

References
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[2] Bagewadi, H. G., Deodurg, P. M., Patil, B. V., & Zahid, S. H. (2018). Perceptions and practices of self-medication among undergraduate medical students at Gulbarga Institute of Medical Sciences, Kalaburagi, India. International Journal of Basic & Clinical Pharmacology, 7 (1), 63-67. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.18203/2319-2003.ijbcp20175676
[3] Barrenberg, E., & Garbe, E. (2017). From prescription-only (Rx) to over-the-counter (OTC) status in Germany 2006–2015: pharmacological perspectives on regulatory decisions. European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 73 (7), 901-910. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00228-017-2240-4
[4] Zeb, S., Mushtaq, M., Ahmad, M., Saleem, W., Rabaan, A. A., Naqvi, B. S. Z., & Ahmed, N. (2022). Self-Medication as an Important Risk Factor for Antibiotic Resistance: A Multi-Institutional Survey among Students. Antibiotics, 11 (7), 842. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics11070842
[5] Suchithra, B. S. (2017). Study on Awareness about Self-Medications and it's Complications Among Homemakers. Journal of Health and Allied Sciences NU, 7 (01), 061-065. doi: 10.1055/s-0040-1708698
[6] Dare, S. S., Eze, E. D., Echoru, I., Usman, I. M., Ssempijja, F., Bukenya, E. E., & Ssebuufu, R. (2022). Behavioural Response To Self-Medication Practice Before and During Covid-19 Pandemic in Western Uganda. Patient preference and adherence, 16, 2247. doi: 10.2147/PPA.S370954.
[7] Nasir, M., Talha, K. A., Chowdhury, A. S., Zahan, T., & Perveen, R. A. (2020). Prevalence, Pattern and Impact of Self Medication of Anti-infective Agents During COVID-19 Outbreak in Dhaka City. Global Journal of Medical Research, 1-12. doi:: https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-57011/v1
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[9] Himanshu, K., Singh, P. K., & Biswas, A. B. (2019). Study on Self-Medication Practices among Undergraduate Medical Students in Katihar, Bihar. Journal of Contemporary Medical Research, 6 (8), H12-H15. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.21276/ijcmr.2019.6.8.43
[10] Gelayee, D. A. (2017). Self-medication pattern among social Science University students in Northwest Ethiopia. Journal of pharmaceutics, 2017, 1-5. doi: https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/8680714
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[12] Flanigan, J. (2017). Pharmaceutical freedom: Why patients have a right to self-medicate. Oxford University Press.
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[14] Shah, S. J., Ahmad, H., Rehan, R. B., Najeeb, S., Mumtaz, M., Jilani, M. H., & Kadir, M. M. (2014). Self-medication with antibiotics among non-medical university students of Karachi: a cross-sectional study. BMC Pharmacology and Toxicology, 15 (1), 1-7. doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/2050-6511-15-74
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Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Muhammad Ans, Sameen Abbas, Anosh Sana, Mishal Bajwa, Kalsoom Jehan Khan, et al. (2023). A Cross-Sectional Assessment of Self-Medication Among University Students of Lahore, Pakistan. American Journal of Health Research, 11(1), 13-17. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajhr.20231101.12

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    ACS Style

    Muhammad Ans; Sameen Abbas; Anosh Sana; Mishal Bajwa; Kalsoom Jehan Khan, et al. A Cross-Sectional Assessment of Self-Medication Among University Students of Lahore, Pakistan. Am. J. Health Res. 2023, 11(1), 13-17. doi: 10.11648/j.ajhr.20231101.12

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    AMA Style

    Muhammad Ans, Sameen Abbas, Anosh Sana, Mishal Bajwa, Kalsoom Jehan Khan, et al. A Cross-Sectional Assessment of Self-Medication Among University Students of Lahore, Pakistan. Am J Health Res. 2023;11(1):13-17. doi: 10.11648/j.ajhr.20231101.12

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ajhr.20231101.12,
      author = {Muhammad Ans and Sameen Abbas and Anosh Sana and Mishal Bajwa and Kalsoom Jehan Khan and Waqas Abdul Aziz and Asima Bibi and Mujahid Hussain},
      title = {A Cross-Sectional Assessment of Self-Medication Among University Students of Lahore, Pakistan},
      journal = {American Journal of Health Research},
      volume = {11},
      number = {1},
      pages = {13-17},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ajhr.20231101.12},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajhr.20231101.12},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajhr.20231101.12},
      abstract = {Background: Symptoms or ailments that a person is aware of and chooses to treat on their own are referred to as self-medication. The idea of self-medication has been influenced by awareness of individual responsibility for own health and unnecessary professional care for mild illnesses. Self-medication is common practice around the globe. Gradually, it is becoming a form of self-care. Lot of research has been done in the area and the result revealed that the self-medication is more common among the literate people as compared to the illiterate. Trend is rather prominent among the young population who tend to have more knowledge of drugs and their use, have lower risk perception, therefore are more influenced by self-medication. Objective: A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the knowledge about self-medication among engineering, arts & humanities students in Lahore during a period of 7 months (December 2018-June 2019). Methodology: A self-administered questionnaire was designed after the extensive review of previous research and was reviewed by an expert panel of professors & lecturers of clinical pharmacy of Punjab University College of pharmacy. Human ethics committee of Punjab University College of Pharmacy, University of the Punjab approved the study protocol. A total sample of 1000 students were calculated by sample size calculator. All statistical analysis was done by SPSS version 23. Results: A total of 1000 questionnaire were received with overall response rate of 63%. In this study, younger age, male, and unmarried students residing in hostels and those who have access to nearby pharmacy tended to self-medicate more than their peers with significant difference. About 43.4% of respondents followed their doctor's advice, while about 37.2% took their own advice or that of friends, family members, or the media. Conclusion: Self-medication misuse or abuse can be dangerous and endanger lives; if practiced impulsively, it may also be a health issue that requires education and attention from Pakistan's health care authorities. Future research is also required to determine how self-medication affects Lahore and Pakistan's non-medical students' health.},
     year = {2023}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - A Cross-Sectional Assessment of Self-Medication Among University Students of Lahore, Pakistan
    AU  - Muhammad Ans
    AU  - Sameen Abbas
    AU  - Anosh Sana
    AU  - Mishal Bajwa
    AU  - Kalsoom Jehan Khan
    AU  - Waqas Abdul Aziz
    AU  - Asima Bibi
    AU  - Mujahid Hussain
    Y1  - 2023/01/17
    PY  - 2023
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajhr.20231101.12
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ajhr.20231101.12
    T2  - American Journal of Health Research
    JF  - American Journal of Health Research
    JO  - American Journal of Health Research
    SP  - 13
    EP  - 17
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2330-8796
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajhr.20231101.12
    AB  - Background: Symptoms or ailments that a person is aware of and chooses to treat on their own are referred to as self-medication. The idea of self-medication has been influenced by awareness of individual responsibility for own health and unnecessary professional care for mild illnesses. Self-medication is common practice around the globe. Gradually, it is becoming a form of self-care. Lot of research has been done in the area and the result revealed that the self-medication is more common among the literate people as compared to the illiterate. Trend is rather prominent among the young population who tend to have more knowledge of drugs and their use, have lower risk perception, therefore are more influenced by self-medication. Objective: A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the knowledge about self-medication among engineering, arts & humanities students in Lahore during a period of 7 months (December 2018-June 2019). Methodology: A self-administered questionnaire was designed after the extensive review of previous research and was reviewed by an expert panel of professors & lecturers of clinical pharmacy of Punjab University College of pharmacy. Human ethics committee of Punjab University College of Pharmacy, University of the Punjab approved the study protocol. A total sample of 1000 students were calculated by sample size calculator. All statistical analysis was done by SPSS version 23. Results: A total of 1000 questionnaire were received with overall response rate of 63%. In this study, younger age, male, and unmarried students residing in hostels and those who have access to nearby pharmacy tended to self-medicate more than their peers with significant difference. About 43.4% of respondents followed their doctor's advice, while about 37.2% took their own advice or that of friends, family members, or the media. Conclusion: Self-medication misuse or abuse can be dangerous and endanger lives; if practiced impulsively, it may also be a health issue that requires education and attention from Pakistan's health care authorities. Future research is also required to determine how self-medication affects Lahore and Pakistan's non-medical students' health.
    VL  - 11
    IS  - 1
    ER  - 

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Author Information
  • University College of Pharmacy, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan

  • Department of Pharmacy, Quaid-I-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan

  • Department of Pharmacy, Quaid-I-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan

  • Department of Pharmacy, Quaid-I-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan

  • Department of Pharmacy, Lords College of Pharmacy, Lahore, Pakistan

  • Department of Public Health, Health Services Academy, Islamabad, Pakistan

  • Department of Pharmacy, Quaid-I-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan

  • Department of Health Economics, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE), Islamabad, Pakistan

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