A Study on Impact of Self Medication in Adults and Paediatrics in COVID-19 Pandemic.

Autor: S., Sathya Narayana, Jose, Albin, S., Arun, M., Prashanth, Mani, Muthukumar, R., Srinivasan, V., Saikrupa B.
Předmět:
Zdroj: Journal of Drug Delivery & Therapeutics; May2024, Vol. 14 Issue 5, p6-10, 5p
Abstrakt: Background: Self-medication is defined as the use of medicinal products by the consumer to treat self-recognized disorders or symptoms, or the intermittent or continued use of a medication prescribed by a physician for chronic or recurring diseases or symptoms, which often is accompanied by potential risks to the consumers, including toxicity, therapeutic failure and drug-drug as well as drug-food interactions. The practice of self-medication has exponentially risen during the Covid-19 pandemic due to fear of visiting healthcare setups and subsequently contracting infections. Aim: The present study aims to determine the prevalence of self-medication in adults and pediatric patients during Covid-19. settings and Design: A cross-sectional community-based survey study was conducted among 556 participants, including pediatric and adult populations, for a period of 6 months, through an online platform. Methods and Material: The data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire, which included informed consent, questions on patient demographics and self-medication practices, and plausible reasons for it. The collected data was analyzed using SPSS 22.0, and R environment ver.3.2.2 software. Results: Out of 556 participants the prevalence of self-medicating with paracetamol was considered to be high both in adults and paediatrics which was found to be 72.6% (319) and 66.6% (117) respectively. During Covid-19 symptoms, it was reported that Azithromycin consumption was found to be more than paracetamol. It also showed that 62.9% (439) were self-medicating before the Covid19 pandemic and 20.5 % (439) were not aware of the risks associated with self-medication. The major source of self-medication was found to be Google (46.5%) followed by using old prescriptions (121.5%) and using family or friends’ prescriptions (10.9%). Conclusions: The study showed a conclusive rise in self-medication practices during the Covid pandemic among the SM-naïve population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Databáze: Complementary Index