Trends Toward Self-Medication Practices During Covid-19 In Gujranwala District
Trends Toward Self-Medication Practices During Covid-19
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54393/pjhs.v3i06.259Keywords:
COVID-19, Self-Medication, SARS-Cov-2, OTC Medications, Gujranwala DistrictAbstract
In Gujranwala, self-medication is a prevalent practice since it offers a low-cost alternative for individuals, and it entails the incorrect and irresponsible use of medications to cure self-recognized symptoms. It is also noteworthy that SM has both positive and negative aspects that affect the life of people. Objectives: To determine the occurrence, pattern, and sources of self-medication among respondents with all socioeconomic statuses and educational levels. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey on 535 residents of the targeted region was undertaken from June to November 2021 in Gujranwala district. We analyze our data by using SPSS and find mean values of our different variables and also find the frequencies and percentages the variables for achievement of our desired results. Results: As COVID-19 preventive, 44 (8.7%) respondents self-medicated with penicillin, and only 4 (0.8%) with paracetamol. When COVID-19 symptoms appeared, the pattern shifted, with azithromycin having the highest rate of self-medication of 49 (9.75%) of all drugs. When people were diagnosed with COVID-19, 12.5% used azithromycin, and 10.3% used penicillin. Conclusions: This study found a significantly high level of SM among men in Gujranwala district. Analgesics, particularly paracetamol and Ibuprofen, were the most often utilized medications for SM.
References
Ruiz ME. Risks of self-medication practices. Current drug safety. 2010 Oct; 5(4):315-23. doi: 10.2174/157488610792245966
Phalke VD, Phalke DB, Durgawale PM. Self-medication practices in rural Maharashtra. Indian journal of community medicine. 2006 Jan; 31(1):34. doi: 10.4103/0970-0218.54933
Limaye D, Limaye V, Krause G, Fortwengel G. A systematic review of the literature to assess self-medication practices. Annals of Medical and Health Sciences Research. 2017 Sep; 7(1):1-15. doi: 10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20173192
Arain MI, Shahnaz S, Anwar R, Anwar K. Assessment of Self-medication Practices During COVID-19 Pandemic in Hyderabad and Karachi, Pakistan. Sudan Journal of Medical Sciences. 2021 Nov; 16(3):347-54. doi: 10.18502/sjms.v16i3.9696
Quispe-Cañari JF, Fidel-Rosales E, Manrique D, Mascaró-Zan J, Huamán-Castillón KM, Chamorro–Espinoza SE, et al. Self-medication practices during the COVID-19 pandemic among the adult population in Peru: A cross-sectional survey. Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal. 2021 Jan; 29(1):1-1. doi: 10.1016/j.jsps.2020.12.001
Nasir M, Chowdhury AS, Zahan T. Self-medication during COVID-19 outbreak: a cross sectional online survey in Dhaka city. International Journal Basic & Clinical Pharmacology. 2020 Sep; 9(9):1325-30. doi: 10.18203/2319-2003.ijbcp20203522
Nagarajaiah BH, Kishore MS, NS SK, Panchakshari P. Prevalence and pattern of self-medication practices among population of three districts of South Karnataka. National Journal of Physiology, Pharmacy and Pharmacology. 1970 Jan; 6(4):296-. doi: 10.5455/njppp.2016.6.02022016126
Onchonga D, Omwoyo J, Nyamamba D. Assessing the prevalence of self-medication among healthcare workers before and during the 2019 SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic in Kenya. Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal. 2020 Oct; 28(10):1149-54. doi: 10.1016/j.jsps.2020.08.003
Sadio AJ, Gbeasor-Komlanvi FA, Konu RY, Bakoubayi AW, Tchankoni MK, Bitty-Anderson AM, et al. Assessment of self-medication practices in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak in Togo. BMC public health. 2021 Dec; 21(1):1-9. doi: 10.1186/s12889-020-10145-1
Rafiq K, Nesar S, Anser H, Hassan A, Rizvi A, Raza A, et al. Self-medication in the COVID-19 pandemic: survival of the fittest. Disaster medicine and public health preparedness. 2021 Jun; 8:1-5. doi: 10.1017/dmp.2021.173
Väänänen MH, Pietilä K, Airaksinen M. Self-medication with antibiotics—does it really happen in Europe?. Health policy. 2006 Jul; 77(2):166-71. doi: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2005.07.001
Hanif A, Ashar SM, Rabnawaz R, Yasmeen S. Self-medication of antibiotics among the students of Hamdard University, Pakistan. Journal of Public Health in Developing Countries. 2016 May; 2(1):145-8. doi: 10.1016/j.puhe.2015.04.005
Lukovic JA, Miletic V, Pekmezovic T, Trajkovic G, Ratkovic N, Aleksic D, et al. Self-medication practices and risk factors for self-medication among medical students in Belgrade, Serbia. PloS one. 2014 Dec; 9(12):e114644. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0114644
Mudenda S, Witika BA, Sadiq MJ, Banda M, Mfune RL, Daka V, et al. Self-medication and its consequences during & after the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic: a global health problem. European Journal of Environment and Public Health. 2020 Nov; 5(1):em0066. doi: 10.29333/ejeph/9308
Aqeel T, Shabbir A, Basharat H, Bukhari M, Mobin S, Shahid H, et al. Prevalence of self-medication among urban and rural population of Islamabad, Pakistan. Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research. 2014 May; 13(4):627-33. doi: 10.4314/tjpr.v13i4.22
Gutema GB, Gadisa DA, Kidanemariam ZA, Berhe DF, Berhe AH, Hadera MG, et al. Self-medication practices among health sciences students: the case of Mekelle University. Journal of Applied Pharmaceutical Science. 2011 Dec; 1(10):183-9.
Jamhour A, El-Kheir A, Salameh P, Abi Hanna P, Mansour H. Antibiotic knowledge and self-medication practices in a developing country: A cross-sectional study. American Journal of Infection Control. 2017 Apr; 45(4):384-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ajic.2016.11.026
Nunes AP, Costa IM, Costa FA. Determinants of self-medication with NSAIDs in a Portuguese community pharmacy. Pharmacy Practice (Granada). 2016 Mar; 14(1):0-. doi: 10.18549/PharmPract.2016.01.648
Makowska M, Boguszewski R, Nowakowski M, Podkowińska M. Self-medication-related behaviors and Poland’s COVID-19 lockdown. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020 Nov; 17(22):8344. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17228344
Orellana Manzano AK, Orellana Manzano S, Dorado Sanchez L, Vizcaino MJ, Gomez‐Franco F, Chuquimarca‐Tandazo L. Self‐Medication Risk During SARS‐COV‐2 Confinement Pandemic. The FASEB Journal. 2021 May; 35(1). doi: 10.1096/fasebj.2021.35.S1.04814
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2022 Pakistan Journal of Health Sciences
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This is an open-access journal and all the published articles / items are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. For comments
