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International Journal of Recent Trends in Science and Technology, ISSN 2277-2812 E-ISSN: 2249-8109
Volume 14, Issue 3, April 2015 pp 510-512
Research Article
Self prescription pattern amongst undergraduate students in a medical university in Mysore
Reddy Prasad C, Sibgatullah Md, Pramod S G, Shruthi S L, Siddamma A, Yesu Raju G
Department of Pharmacology, JSS Medical College, Mysore-15, Karnataka, INDIA.
Abstract
Aims and Objectives: To study the prevalence and pattern of use of self-medication in undergraduate medical students of JSS Medical College, Mysore. Methods: A questionnaire was prepared to study the self prescription pattern. The questionnaire included questions regarding details about the self prescription habits of the students. The study was conducted for a period of 1 month starting from 1st October to 31st October 2014. Ethical clearance was obtained from the ethics committee and informed consent from students was obtained before distributing the questionnaire. Results: Self medication is prevalent amongst undergraduate students. Fever and headache are the most common symptoms for which students self prescribe. Commonly prescribed drugs include antipyretics at 33.11%, antibiotics at 31.74%, and analgesics at 24.23%. 36.37% of students experienced adverse effects of drugs at one time or other when they had self prescribed. The most commonly seen adverse effect was rashes in 20.28% of study group. The reason for termination of self prescribed medication was cure seen in 66.43% of the study group. No cure/increase in severity of disease was seen in 26.57% of the study group. 6.99% of the students terminated the treatment because of adverse effects. The various reasons for self medication were because of urgency (severity of symptoms) in 48.95% of the students, 30.77% of students resorted to self prescription because of their busy schedule and inability to consult a doctor. Parents and friends were the main source of information to take a particular drug in diseased condition in 33.75% and 30.38% of students respectively. Conclusion: there is an urgent need to educate the students about hazards of self prescription.
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