Self-medication practices among college students of medical technology, derna, Libya : a cross-sectional survey based study

Abstract EN

Self-medication is the practice of using medications to treat symptoms or illnesses that have been self-diagnosed without consulting a doctor.

despite its contribution to lessening the demand for medical services, it carries a number of health concerns for individuals who use it.

research on this subject revealed that students in the health sciences continued to self-medicate and advocate for it in public.

accordingly, the aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of self-medication and investigate factors associated with it.

a cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study was carried out to identify self-medication among undergraduate students at the college of medical technology, derna, libya.

the data were collected and analyzed for counts and percentages.

the study revealed that 64.72% of students reported self-medication practices in the preceding year.

moreover, self-medication practice was found more frequently in female students as compared to male students.

headache was the most frequently reported illness; commonly used drugs were antipyretics and analgesics; and the reason quoted was the disease's ease of prevention and cure.

this study shows that self-medication is widely practiced among college students.

there is a dire need to make students aware of the pros and cons of self-medication in order to ensure safe usage of medicines.