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ABSTRACT
| Title |
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Self-medication Practice: the Case of Kolladiba Town, North West Ethiopia |
| Authors |
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SOLOMON ABRHA, FANTAHUN MOLLA, WONDIM MELKAM |
| Keywords |
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Self-medication, Prevalence, Practices, Kolladiba town, Respondents |
| Issue Date |
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October 2014 |
| Abstract |
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Background: Self medication is an important initial response to illness. Most illnesses do not come to the attention of physicians as many of them are either tolerated or self medicated in developing countries. The objective of this study was to assess the overall practice of self medication in Kolladiba town, North West Ethiopia.
Method: A community based cross-sectional study with two weeks illness recall was conducted from January to February 2012. Data on socio-demographic and socio- economic as well as illnesses in the past two weeks prior to the study and treatment strategies were collected by structured questionnaire through interviewing heads of households. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 15.0.
Results: Out of 261 respondents, 164(62.8%) were self medicated using modern drugs and herbs. Females (70.1%) were found to practice self medication more than men (29.9%). Headache or fever was the most frequently reported symptom 92(30.9%) followed by a respiratory tract infection (RTI) 69(23.2%) and gastrointestinal (GI) disease 65(21.8%). The two main reasons for self-medication were the cost of health care systems 73(44.5%) and mildness of the disease 51(31.1%). Analgesics/antipyretics 29 (34.1%), antibiotics 21(24.7%) and GI drugs 19(22.4%) were the most frequently consumed medications with drug retail outlets 59 (67.5%) as the main source of drugs to practice self-medication. The majority of the respondents 64(75.3%) had good knowledge about the side effects of the drugs. More than half of the respondents reported their illness was improved after self- medication.
Conclusion and recommendation: The result of this study revealed a high prevalence of self-medication in the study community. Hence, this study highlights the need for educational measures for the general public to improve responsible self medication. |
| Page(s) |
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670-677 |
| ISSN |
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0975-9492 |
| Source |
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Vol. 5, No.10 |
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