Self-Medication among Medical and Nonmedical Students at the University of Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study
Despite having some benefits, self-medication increases risks such as unnecessary use of medication, extended duration of consumption, incorrect diagnosis, drug-drug interactions, and polypharmacy. Thus, the purpose of this study is to compare self-medication practice between medical and nonmedical...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2020-01-01
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| Series: | Scientifica |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2020/4021586 |
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| author | Zelalem T. Tesfaye Asrat E. Ergena Bilal T. Yimer |
| author_facet | Zelalem T. Tesfaye Asrat E. Ergena Bilal T. Yimer |
| author_sort | Zelalem T. Tesfaye |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Despite having some benefits, self-medication increases risks such as unnecessary use of medication, extended duration of consumption, incorrect diagnosis, drug-drug interactions, and polypharmacy. Thus, the purpose of this study is to compare self-medication practice between medical and nonmedical students of the University of Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia. An institutional-based cross-sectional comparative study was conducted on medical and nonmedical students of the University of Gondar from March 25 to May 15, 2018. A comparative sample of 213 medical and 212 nonmedical students were enrolled in the study. Data were collected by physically visiting the students in their campuses, using a semistructured questionnaire. Of the participants with a history of medication use in the past 12 months, 64.5% practiced self-medication. The prevalence of self-medication was 59.7% among medical students and 69.0% among nonmedical students. “Knowing the treatment of the disease” was the most frequent reason behind self-medication. Analgesics/antipyretics were the most common categories of medications used, whereas headache was the predominant ailment for which the medications were used. Self-medication practice was found to be higher in the fifth year students and nonmedical students (p<0.05). In conclusion, self-medication is common among students of the University of Gondar. Nonmedical students were more likely to have practiced self-medication as compared to medical students. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9f8871dbf1bb4c9c9bc358e04ee35e68 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2090-908X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2020-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientifica |
| spelling | doaj-art-9f8871dbf1bb4c9c9bc358e04ee35e682025-02-03T01:04:00ZengWileyScientifica2090-908X2020-01-01202010.1155/2020/40215864021586Self-Medication among Medical and Nonmedical Students at the University of Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional StudyZelalem T. Tesfaye0Asrat E. Ergena1Bilal T. Yimer2Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, EthiopiaDepartment of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, EthiopiaDepartment Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, EthiopiaDespite having some benefits, self-medication increases risks such as unnecessary use of medication, extended duration of consumption, incorrect diagnosis, drug-drug interactions, and polypharmacy. Thus, the purpose of this study is to compare self-medication practice between medical and nonmedical students of the University of Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia. An institutional-based cross-sectional comparative study was conducted on medical and nonmedical students of the University of Gondar from March 25 to May 15, 2018. A comparative sample of 213 medical and 212 nonmedical students were enrolled in the study. Data were collected by physically visiting the students in their campuses, using a semistructured questionnaire. Of the participants with a history of medication use in the past 12 months, 64.5% practiced self-medication. The prevalence of self-medication was 59.7% among medical students and 69.0% among nonmedical students. “Knowing the treatment of the disease” was the most frequent reason behind self-medication. Analgesics/antipyretics were the most common categories of medications used, whereas headache was the predominant ailment for which the medications were used. Self-medication practice was found to be higher in the fifth year students and nonmedical students (p<0.05). In conclusion, self-medication is common among students of the University of Gondar. Nonmedical students were more likely to have practiced self-medication as compared to medical students.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2020/4021586 |
| spellingShingle | Zelalem T. Tesfaye Asrat E. Ergena Bilal T. Yimer Self-Medication among Medical and Nonmedical Students at the University of Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study Scientifica |
| title | Self-Medication among Medical and Nonmedical Students at the University of Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study |
| title_full | Self-Medication among Medical and Nonmedical Students at the University of Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study |
| title_fullStr | Self-Medication among Medical and Nonmedical Students at the University of Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Self-Medication among Medical and Nonmedical Students at the University of Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study |
| title_short | Self-Medication among Medical and Nonmedical Students at the University of Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study |
| title_sort | self medication among medical and nonmedical students at the university of gondar northwest ethiopia a cross sectional study |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2020/4021586 |
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