Knowledge and Practice of Self-medication among Undergraduate Medical Students

Authors

Keywords:

knowledge, medical students, Nepal, practice, self medication

Abstract

Introduction: Self-medication is an important aspect of self-care. It is a common practice in society and medical students are no exception. The aim of this study was to explore the knowledge and practice of self-medication among students of a medical school in Western Nepal.

Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among basic science and clinical students after obtaining prior consent from those willing to participate. Respondents’ degree of agreement with a set of 25 statements was noted using Likert scale to assess their knowledge. The practice of self-medication was studied by asking about the use of selected groups of medicines during the past one-year period and noting the pattern of use.

Results: Three hundred and thirty of the 356 students (92.6%) participated in the study. Mean knowledge score was 93.2 (SD = 8.1). Self-medication was practiced by 83.3% (n = 275) of respondents. Knowledge about self-medication differed among respondents according to gender (p = 0.03) and nationality (p = 0.04) but not other variables. Practice of self-medication was associated with father’s profession (p = 0.03) and nationality of the respondents (p = 0.04).

Conclusions: Students’ knowledge about self-medication was good and they commonly practiced self-medication. Pain-killers were the most commonly used drug.

 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.22502/jlmc.v6i1.174

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Author Biography

Anishma Karmacharya, Lumbini Medical College

Lecturer,

Department of Pharmacology

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Published

2018-06-27

How to Cite

Karmacharya, A., Uprety, B. N., Pathiyil, R. S., & Gyawali, S. (2018). Knowledge and Practice of Self-medication among Undergraduate Medical Students. Journal of Lumbini Medical College, 6(1), 21–26. Retrieved from https://nepjol.info./index.php/JLMC/article/view/20458

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 1 (2018)

Section

Original Research Articles

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