Biah Mustafa, Ahmad Nawaz, Ayesha Hussain, Minaam Farooq, Huzaifa Ahmad Cheema, Abia Shahid.
A comparison of self-medication among undergraduate medical and undergraduate non-medical students in Pakistan.
J Allama Iqbal Med Coll Jan ;19(4):941-48.

Background: Self-medication usually corresponds to the self-administration of a medication in the absence of a currently valid prescription or without consulting a healthcare professional. Self-medication is usually employed for minor ailments that people diagnose and treat themselves. Methods: This observational cross-sectional study was conducted from 8th April 2021 till 15th April 2021, after obtaining ethical approval from the Institutional Review Board, King Edward Medical University. An online questionnaire was developed using Google Forms. The link of the questionnaire was disseminated through Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, various other social networking sites and through text messages. Confidentiality and anonymity were thoroughly ensured and no names or email addresses were asked. A total of 790 people filled out the questionnaire. Results: The questionnaire was completed by 790 students, of which 475 (60.1%) were females 315 (39.9%) were males. 418 (52.9%) belonged to medical schools and 372 (47.1%) belonged to non-medical institutes spreading all across Pakistan. Self-medication in the past 6 months was reported by 524 out of the total 790 students (66.3%), which were found to be slightly more prevalent in medical students (67.0%) than students belonging to non-medical institutions (65.6%). The chi-square value for this test was 171 at 1 degree of freedom, p=0.679 making the difference statistically insignificant. Conclusion: Self-medication is a common practice among both medical and non-medical university students of Pakistan. Medical students do, however, realize that self-medication is not a safe practice. It is important to take measures to thwart this growing trend.

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