Prevalence and Practice of Self-medication among University Students in Pakistan through Online Resources
Asim Mehmood *
Faculty of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Jazan University, Saudi Arabia.
Sherjeel Adnan
The University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan.
Maseer Khan
Faculty of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Jazan University, Saudi Arabia.
Kaliyaperumal Karunamoorthi
Faculty of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Jazan University, Saudi Arabia.
Fahad Khan Azeez
Faculty of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Jazan University, Saudi Arabia.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Background: Self-medication or self-care is regarded as an unhealthy practice. However, it is widely accepted and practiced in the low and middle-income countries (LMICs) due to scarcity of health resources.
Objectives: To assess the prevalence and practice of self-medication among university students in Pakistan through online resources.
Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted between May 2017 and August 2017 by involving 991 university students. A questionnaire was administered to obtain data.
Results: The majority 85.9% (852/991) of the respondents knew aboutonline medicines and their uses of self-medication. Overall, 68% (674/991) of them have to travel long-distances to access essential health services. Nearly half (41.7%) of the respondents procured drugs through the online sources, while only 15.6% of them obtained through pharmacies.
Conclusions: The rampant irrational use of drugs without medical guidance could contribute to adverse consequences viz.; the emergence of multi-drug resistance, adverse drug reactions, drug interactions etc. Strict regulations must be enforced to limit public access to online-drugs by the law-enforcement agencies.
Keywords: Online resources, Pakistan, prevalence, self-medication, University students.