Knowledge, attitude and practice about self-medication among university students in Male’

Abstract

Self-medication is a common practice around the world. It is often defined as the selection and use of medicines by individuals to treat self-recognized illnesses or symptoms. This study aimed to identify the knowledge, attitude and practices of self-medication among University students in Male’. A cross sectional descriptive study was carried out among 120 students chosen through convenient sampling from Maldives National University. Data was collected using a pretested self-administered questionnaire about demographic details, knowledge, attitude and practices of self-medication. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 20. The major findings of the study showed that almost all the study participants practiced self-medication. It has also shown that the most common groups of drugs used for self-medication were painkillers, vitamins, antibiotics and anti-allergies. Moreover, majority of the students believed that self-medication is more convenient and time saving when compared to consulting a doctor. Although self-medication is difficult to eliminate, interventions can be made to discourage this practice and ensure safer usage of drugs. The interventions that can be made include better patient education and implementing strict regulatory policies against selling pharmaceutical drugs without prescription.