Abstract

PRACTICES AND PERCEPTION OF SELF-MEDICATION WITH ANTIBIOTICS AMONG PHARMACY UNDERGRADUATES OF NEPAL

Sabina Bhandari*, Sangita Shakya and Dr. Kiran Shakya

ABSTRACT

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) defines self-medication as ―the use of drugs to treat self-diagnosed disorders or symptoms, or the intermittent or continuous use of a prescribed drug for chronic or recurrent diseases or symptoms.‖ Self-medication with antibiotics (SMA) can be defined as the procurement of antibiotics and consuming them to treat a supposed infection. It involves the use of medications without a valid prescription, the use of leftover medication by oneself or by a family/friend, sharing medicines with family and friends, and using an old prescription or someone else’s prescription to buy medications. Objectives: To assess the practice and perception of self-medication with antibiotics among Pharmacy undergraduates. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 360respondents from January 2024 to March 2024. A non-probability, convenient sampling was used to gather respondents' data across four universities. Within each university, one college was selected, and questionnaires were distributed to various classes within these colleges. The required information was gathered using a semi-structured pre-validated questionnaire with open and closed-ended questions derived from questionnaires used in the previously published studies. However, it was modified to suit the purpose of the present study. The questionnaire was in English as it is the language of instruction at the Faculty of Pharmacy. Any ambiguous questions were clarified to the participating students. The purpose of the study was told to the respondents and the questionnaire was filled only after signing up the consent form. The data obtained was analyzed using SPSS 25. Results: Among the 360 respondents 173 (48.1%) had taken antibiotics last six months. The prevalence of self-medication with antibiotics among pharmacy undergraduates was found to be 36.99%. Most common illness for self–medication with antibiotics was tonsil infection 18 (28.12%) followed by Diarrhea 17(26.56%), and sore throat 15(23.43%). The reason for practicing self-medication was found to be Previous experience 47(73%). The source of antibiotic supply was Pharmacy 57(89%). The most common antibiotics used was Azithromycin43(64.18%) followed by metronidazole 15(23.43%), Amoxicillin 7(10,93%). The most respondents who used antibiotics for 1-3 days was 40(62.5%). Conclusion: This study focused on assessing the practices and perception of self-medication with antibiotics among Pharmacy undergraduates and prevalence was found to be 36.99%. Self-medication with antibiotics is one of the global new trends that might result in increasing the burden on health systems mainly due to the development of bacterial resistance.

Keywords: Self-medication, antibiotics, pharmacy undergraduates, antibiotic resistance.