Alessa Dalal Ibrahim, AlHuthail Reem Rashed, Al Mahfud Shahd Abdullah, Alshngeetee Ayshah Sayed, Alruwaili Shahad A, Khalaf Ahmad Mamoun, Almutlq Malak Mohammed
Department of Ophthalmology, College of Medicine, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
College of Medicine, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Clin Ophthalmol. 2022 Mar 10;16:723-731. doi: 10.2147/OPTH.S352964. eCollection 2022.
Self-medication is the selection and use of drugs by individuals to treat self-diagnosed diseases or symptoms. While some patients regard self-medicating as harmless, it is far from being a safe practice. The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward self-medicating eye symptoms in Saudi Arabia.
A cross-sectional study was conducted through an online questionnaire on a study population that consisted of Saudi nationals aged 18 and older who were using or had previously used ophthalmic medications.
Among the 524 responses obtained, 79.4% were female, and more than half were less than 40 years old. Participants admitting to practicing ophthalmic self-medication measured 62.4%. The most commonly self-prescribed ophthalmic medications were artificial tears (n=276), followed by antiallergic (n=57) and antibiotic medications (n=33). Many participants reported that the reason for self-treatment was for repeated and simple symptoms that did not require professional care. While approximately 51% showed high levels of knowledge about ophthalmic medications, no significant relationship was seen with their choice to self-medicate (P=0.153).
Despite detecting a high level of knowledge and acceptable practices and attitudes among participants, a high incidence of self-medication was observed. This effect was mostly attributed to long hospital waiting times and patient self-diagnosis. Increasing the number of healthcare units and properly educating patients on ophthalmic medications may help decrease the incidence of self-medication.
自我药疗是指个人选择和使用药物来治疗自我诊断的疾病或症状。虽然一些患者认为自我药疗无害，但这远非一种安全的做法。本研究的目的是评估沙特阿拉伯民众对眼部症状自我药疗的知识、态度和行为。
通过在线问卷对年龄在18岁及以上、正在使用或曾使用过眼科药物的沙特国民进行横断面研究。
在获得的524份回复中，79.4%为女性，超过半数年龄小于40岁。承认有眼部自我药疗行为的参与者占62.4%。最常自我开具的眼科药物是人工泪液（n = 276），其次是抗过敏药物（n = 57）和抗生素药物（n = 33）。许多参与者表示自我治疗的原因是症状反复且简单，无需专业护理。虽然约51%的参与者对眼科药物有较高的知识水平，但这与他们自我药疗的选择之间未发现显著关联（P = 0.153）。
尽管在参与者中发现了较高的知识水平以及可接受的行为和态度，但自我药疗的发生率仍很高。这种现象主要归因于医院候诊时间长和患者自我诊断。增加医疗单位数量并对患者进行眼科药物的适当教育可能有助于降低自我药疗的发生率。
