Self-Medication Practice and Their Risk Factors among BScN 4 Years Students

Abstract

Self-medication is the use of medicines to treat self-diagnosed disorders or symptoms, or the periodical or continued use of prescribed drugs for acute or chronic disease or symptoms. It’s going to include the use of herbs, the retention and Re-use of Medication without prescribed by doctors. Self-medication is widely practiced in both developed and developing countries. . Practice of getting self-medication was relatively high, because of easy access of drugs from public pharmacy and they also have knowledge about medicines. The study's overall objective was to identify the level of knowledge, attitude, and self-medication practices among undergraduate BScN 4 year student. This would be a descriptive cross sectional quantitative study .Quantitative cross sectional design used data to make statistical inference about nursing students of knowledge, attitude and practice regarding self-medication. Total, 250 BScN students were involved in this study. The data was collected using a validated questionnaire. Overall 53.6% BScN students often practice self-medications,while 46.4% students were not practice self-medications. In a study conducted in a private college of Nursing Lahore, it was found that self-medication is significantly higher in among BScN 4 year’s student nurses. We found that our respondent’s education has also impact on practice and attitude of self-medication. The awareness regarding self-medication among student is good about 60% populations have knowledge regarding medication benefits. As per the findings, 75.8% BScN students visited to a qualified medical practitioner. While 24.2% students were not visited to a qualified medical practitioner. 71.2% BScN students respond that the indications of self-medication Headache/ fever. Inappropriate self-medication can cause harm to the students and also whom they recommend as healthcare providers in the future. Therefore, there is a need to educate nursing students and make them more aware about adverse effects of self-medication.

Keywords: Self-care, medical practitioner, nursing Students, Drugs, Self-medication, Knowledge

DOI: 10.7176/JHMN/104-03

Publication date: November 30^th 2022