Abstract

COMMON PERCEPTION ABOUT THE SAFETY OF DRUGS AMIDST PEOPLE – AN OBSERVATION

*Dr. A. Anandhasayanam, Dr. A. Tamilselvan, Dr. V. Varadharajan and R. Rajamurugan

ABSTRACT

Drugs are substances that are used to treat, diagnose, and prevent illnesses. All medications have side effects, but they range from minimal to severe. All drugs can be associated with additional secondary effects, such as drug-drug interactions, drug-food interactions, and drug-herbal interactions. A safe drug is one that doesn't have any side effects, interactions with other drugs, or interactions with foods. The purpose of this study is to determine how the general public views medications as being safe. An observational study conducted with 2760 participants was carried out for 1 year and 6 months, from August 2019 to March 2022. 82.90% of respondents work or study in fields other than healthcare. 0.47% of medical students, 0.5% of medical professionals, 12.50% of paramedical students, and 3.62% of paramedical professionals were included in this study. 53.09% of the participants had no idea which drug was safe. 15.80% of respondents answered that no drug was safe. 13.20% of respondents thought paracetamol was the safest drug. 42.43 percent of the participants answered that the antipyretics and analgesics category of drugs were safe. Both younger and older people don’t know whether drugs are safe or not.

Keywords: Disease, Safe drug, unwanted effects.