European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine

Abstract

Self-medication (SM) is the act of obtaining and using one or more drugs for treatment, diagnosis, or prescription without a doctor's prescription or recommendation. In percentage, SM is growing in rural areas. Since the prevalence and pattern of SM use are not well established, a cross-sectional survey was conducted, and 400 individuals were randomly chosen from district Baharaich's rural areas.
Method: Each participant underwent a face to face interview with the help of a structured questionnaire; data collected was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statics in Epi info version 7 software.
Result: Overall, out of 400 participants, 70 % of them reported that they have used SM in the past. The frequency of SM use varied among the subjects with a minimum of at least one time to maximum of 5 times and above. When the participants were asked about the reasons for SM use, the majority of them 33% stated lack of time to visit a doctor as the main reason followed by Ease and convenience (17%), Avoiding crowd in visiting doctor (14%) and Economical (14%).The major source through which the participants learned to use SM were as follows, directly from pharmacist (61%) followed by television/media/google (18%) , prescription of previous illness (12%), friends (12.5%). The main indications for SM use were headache (35%) followed by fever (32%), then cough/cold/sore throat (21%).The most commonly used drugs for self-medication were paracetamol (34%) followed by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (30%) and cold remedies (21%).
Conclusion: Self-medication is an alarming sign for society. Self-medication can be prevented or minimized by increased awareness and education in society.