Self-medication among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic: a comparative analysis of different faculties
Main Article Content
Keywords
Education, Medical Education, Self-Medication, COVID-19, Disease Prevention
Abstract
Self-medication is a widespread public health concern. University students are likely to be more prone to it since self-medication rates increase with educational level. Studies have shown that self-medication rates vary among academics belonging to different faculties, and medical students have the highest self-medication rates. However, it is unknown whether this holds in a vulnerable situation, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. It is also unknown whether differences in technical knowledge of drugs influence self-medication rates among students. Thus, this study analyzes and compares prophylactic self-medication among graduate students of different faculties in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-sectional observational study was conducted at a private university in southern Brazil. Students from the medicine, law, life sciences, and fine arts faculties were surveyed, and their responses were compared using a chi-square test. Among 396 respondents, 29.5% reported using preventive medication for COVID-19, and medical students were the least likely to do so. The self-medication rate was 13.6% among respondents, and self-medication did not differ significantly between students of different faculties. Of the students who self-medicated 63% reported having studied the medication before using them. Furthermore, the media did not induce drug use among 81.8% respondents. These results show that medical students used fewer preventive medications during the pandemic and refute the assertion that self-medication rates are higher among medical students. They also show that self-medication rates during the pandemic were significantly lower than those before the pandemic. These revelations show a new aspect of self-medication.
References
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31. da Silva SJ, Pena L. Collapse of the public health system and the emergence of new variants during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil. One Health 2021;13:100287. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.onehlt.2021.100287
32. Núñez-Gil IJ, Estrada V, Fernandez-Perez C, et al. The COVID-19 curve, health system overload, and mortality. Emergencias 2020;32:293-5.
33. Zhang A, Hobman EV, De Barro P, et al. Self-medication with antibiotics for protection against COVID-19: the role of psychological distress, knowledge of, and experiences with antibiotics. Antibiotics 2021;10:232. https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics10030232 34. Chary MA, Barbuto AF, Izadmehr S, et al. COVID-19: therapeutics and their toxicities. J Med Toxicol 2020;16:284-94. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13181-020-00777-5
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39. Ramadan M, Eltaweel A, El Nakhal T, et al. Self-medication among undergraduate medical students of Alexandria faculty of medicine: Where do we stand? Int J Med Stud 2018;6:52-5. https://doi.org/10.5195/ijms.2018.41
40. Yasmin F, Asghar MS, Naeem U, et al. Self-medication practices in medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional analysis. Front Public Health 2022;10:803937. https://doi.org/10.3389%2Ffpubh.2022.803937
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42. Oliveira LASM, de Souza AM, Custódio VM, et al. Self-medication in Brazil during the pandemic of COVID-19 and the role of the pharmaceutical professional, a systematic review. Res Soc Dev 2021;10:e496101119769. http://dx.doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v10i11.19769
66154/WHO_EDM_QSM_00.1_eng.pdf?isAllowed=y&sequence=1 (accessed on: January 20, 2023).
2. Bennadi D. Self-medication: A current challenge. J Basic Clin Pharm 2013;5:19-23. https://doi.org/10.4103%2F0976-0105.128253
3. Arrais PSD, Fernandes MEP, Pizzol TSD, et al. Prevalence of self-medication in Brazil and associated factors. Rev Saude Publica 2016;50(suppl 2):13s. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1518-8787.2016050006117
4. Galato D, Madalena J, Pereira GB. Automedicação em estudantes universitários: a influência da área de formação. Ciênc. Saúde Coletiva 2012;17:3323-30. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1413-81232012001200017
5. Chowdhury N, Yasmin H, Khandaker JN, et al. An assessment of the health behaviors of dorm students in Bangladesh. Home Health Care Manag Pract. 2011;23:82-92. https://doi.org/10.1177/1084822310368634
6. Gras M, Champel V, Masmoudi K, et al. Self-medication practices and their characteristics among French university students. Therapie 2020;75:419-428. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.therap.2020.02.019
7. Seam MOR, Bhatta R, Saha BL, et al. Assessing the perceptions and practice of self-medication among Bangladeshi undergraduate pharmacy students. Pharm 2018;6:6. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy6010006
8. Alsous M, Elayeh E, Jalil MHA, et al. Evaluation of self-medication practice among pharmacy students in Jordan. Jordan J Pharm Sci 2018;11:15-24.
9. Sharif SI, Ibrahim OH, Mouslli L, et al. Evaluation of self-medication among pharmacy students. Am J Pharmacol Toxicol 2012;7:135-140. http://dx.doi.org/10.3844/ajptsp.2012.135.140
10. Zewdie S, Andargie A, Kassahun H. Self-medication practices among undergraduate university students in northeast Ethiopia. Risk Manag Healthc Policy 2020;13:1375-81. https://doi.org/10.2147/RMHP.S266329
11. Sawalha AF. A descriptive study of self-medication practices among Palestinian medical and nonmedical university students. Res Soc Adm Pharm 2008;4:164-172. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sapharm.2007.04.004
12. Saleem RT, Butt MH, Ahmad A, et al. Practices and attitude of self-medication during COVID-19 pandemic in university students with interventional role of pharmacist: a regional analysis. Lat Am J Pharm 2021;40:1946-53.
13. Alshahrani SM, Alavudeen SS, Alakhali KM, et al. Self-medication among King Khalid University students, Saudi Arabia. Risk Manag Healthc Policy 2019;12:243-249. https://doi.org/10.2147/RMHP.S230257
14. Behzadifar M, Behzadifar M, Aryankhesal A, et al. Prevalence of self-medication in university students: systematic review and meta-analysis. East Mediterr Heal J 2020;26:846-57.
15. World Health Organization. COVID-19 – China - 12 January 2020. (January 12, 2020) https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2020-DON233 (accessed on: January 23, 2023).
16. World Health Organization. WHO Director-General's opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19 - 11 March 2020. (March 11, 2020) https://www.who.int/director-general/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid-19---11-march-2020 (accessed on: December 17, 2022).
17. Onchonga D, Omwoyo J, Nyamamba D. Assessing the prevalence of self-medication among healthcare workers before and during the 2019 SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic in Kenya. Saudi Pharm J 2020;28:1149-54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsps.2020.08.003
18. García-Saisó S, Marti M, Brooks I, et al. The COVID-19 Infodemic. Rev Panam Salud Publica. 2021;45:e56. https://doi.org/10.26633/RPSP.2021.56
19. Mudenda S, Witika BA, Sadiq MJ, et al. Self-medication and its consequences during & after the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic: a global health problem. Eur J Environ Public Health 2020;5:em0066. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejeph/9308
20. Wang M, Cao R, Zhang L, et al. Remdesivir and chloroquine effectively inhibit the recently emerged novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in vitro. Cell Res 2020;30:269-71. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41422-020-0282-0
21. Manivannan E, Karthikeyan C, Moorthy NHN, et al. The rise and fall of chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine as compassionate therapy of COVID-19. Front Pharmacol 2021;12: 584940. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2021.584940
22. Gautret P, Lagier JC, Parola P, et al. Hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin as a treatment of COVID-19: results of an open-label non-randomized clinical trial. Int J Antimicrob
Agent 2020;56:105949. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2020.105949
23. Caly L, Druce JD, Catton MG, et al. The FDA-approved drug ivermectin inhibits the replication of SARS-CoV-2 in vitro. Antiviral Res 2020;178:104787. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.antiviral.2020.104787
24. RECOVERY Collaborative Group. Dexamethasone in hospitalized patients with Covid-19. N Engl J Med 2021;384:693-704. https://doi.org/10.1056/nejmoa2021436
25. Mahmoud DB, Shitu Z, Mostafa A. Drug repurposing of nitazoxanide: can it be an effective therapy for COVID-19? J Genet Eng Biotechnol 2020;18:35. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43141-020-00055-5
26. Hadizadeh F. Supplementation with vitamin D in the COVID-19 pandemic? Nutr Rev 2021;79:200-208. https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuaa081
27. Holford P, Carr AC, Jovic TH, et al. Vitamin C—An adjunctive therapy for respiratory infection, sepsis and COVID-19. Nutrients 2020;12:3760. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12123760
28. Shakoor H, Feehan J, Al Dhaheri AS, et al. Immune-boosting role of vitamins D, C, E, zinc, selenium and omega-3 fatty acids: Could they help against COVID-19? Maturitas 2021;143:1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2020.08.003
29. Sanders JM, Monogue ML, Jodlowski TZ, et al. Pharmacologic treatments for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): a review. Jama 2020;323:1824-36. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2020.6019
30. Duner P, Salehi A. COVID-19 and possible pharmacological preventive options. J Clin Med Res 2020;12:758. https://doi.org/10.14740%2Fjocmr4383
31. da Silva SJ, Pena L. Collapse of the public health system and the emergence of new variants during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil. One Health 2021;13:100287. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.onehlt.2021.100287
32. Núñez-Gil IJ, Estrada V, Fernandez-Perez C, et al. The COVID-19 curve, health system overload, and mortality. Emergencias 2020;32:293-5.
33. Zhang A, Hobman EV, De Barro P, et al. Self-medication with antibiotics for protection against COVID-19: the role of psychological distress, knowledge of, and experiences with antibiotics. Antibiotics 2021;10:232. https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics10030232 34. Chary MA, Barbuto AF, Izadmehr S, et al. COVID-19: therapeutics and their toxicities. J Med Toxicol 2020;16:284-94. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13181-020-00777-5
35. Wong A. COVID‐19 and toxicity from potential treatments: Panacea or poison. Emerg Med Australas 2020;32:697-9. https://doi.org/10.1111/1742-6723.13537
36. Rang HP, Dale MM, Ritter JM, et al. Rang & Dale's pharmacology (8th edition). Elsevier Health Sciences; 2016.
37. Moses G. The safety of commonly used vitamins and minerals. Aust Prescr 2021;44:119. https://doi.org/10.18773%2Faustprescr.2021.029
38. Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná. Resolução no 141/2022 - CONSUN. (2022) https://static.pucpr.br/pucpr/2022/07/re-141-2022-consun-mc_medicina_emcv_2022-2.pdf?_ga=2.122428105.337749490.1676155292-4876994.1565047019/ (accessed on: February 8, 2023).
39. Ramadan M, Eltaweel A, El Nakhal T, et al. Self-medication among undergraduate medical students of Alexandria faculty of medicine: Where do we stand? Int J Med Stud 2018;6:52-5. https://doi.org/10.5195/ijms.2018.41
40. Yasmin F, Asghar MS, Naeem U, et al. Self-medication practices in medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional analysis. Front Public Health 2022;10:803937. https://doi.org/10.3389%2Ffpubh.2022.803937
41. Quincho-Lopez A, Benites-Ibarra CA, Hilario-Gomez MM, et al. Self-medication practices to prevent or manage COVID-19: A systematic review. PLoS One 2021;16:e0259317. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0259317
42. Oliveira LASM, de Souza AM, Custódio VM, et al. Self-medication in Brazil during the pandemic of COVID-19 and the role of the pharmaceutical professional, a systematic review. Res Soc Dev 2021;10:e496101119769. http://dx.doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v10i11.19769
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May 5, 2023
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Maria Letícia Carnielli Tebet, Ricardo Pasquini Neto, Ariele Barreto Haagsma, Gracinda Maria D’Almeida e Oliveira, & Marcia Olandoski. (2023). Self-medication among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic: a comparative analysis of different faculties. Journal of Population Therapeutics and Clinical Pharmacology, 30(9), 169–177. https://doi.org/10.47750/jptcp.2023.30.09.018
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