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Volume 6 Issue 10 (October, 2018)

Original Articles

To Determine the Pattern of Self Medication Practices Among Paramedics in a Tertiary Care Hospital
Roohi Sharma, Mohammad Saleem Sharoo, Brij Mohan Gupta, Vishal Tandon, Seema Gupta, Zahid Gillani

Background: Self-medications is widely practiced in both developed and developing countries. Inappropriate self-medication results in increases resistance of pathogens, wastage of resources, and serious health hazards. Objectives: Present study was conducted to determine the prevalence, pattern and factors associated with self-medication among paramedics of a tertiary care hospital. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was designed using a self-administered questionnaire to access the knowledge and self-medication among paramedics of tertiary care hospital. Results: Out of total 440 study participants, 324 (73.6%) had used self-medication. The practice of self-medication was more common among younger age groups and prevalence was more in males 77.7% as compared to females 67.9%. Paracetamol (73.77%) and other analgesics (41.98%) were most commonly used drugs. Most common symptoms warranting self-medication were fever (75.31%) and headache (62.04%). Antibiotics were used by 20.37% of the participants for symptomatic treatment without any rational justification. Conclusion: Rising prevalence of self-medication is a matter of serious concern. IEC activities should be strengthened among general population to minimize the practice of self- medication. Antibiotic awareness should reach every corner of our society for prevention of antibiotic resistance. Key words: Self-medication, drugs, prevalence, practice, antibiotic usage.

 
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