Zaidi Syed F, Hakami Alqassem Y, Khan Muhammad A, Khalid Adil A, Haneef Ahmed K, Natto Safwan S, Mastour Mohammed A, Alghamdi Rayan F
College of Medicine, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah, SAU.
Faculty of Eastern Medicine, Hamdard University Islamabad Campus, Islamabad, PAK.
Cureus. 2023 May 30;15(5):e39706. doi: 10.7759/cureus.39706. eCollection 2023 May.
Background Self-medication (SM) can be defined as the improper practice of obtaining and consuming a pharmaceutical drug without the consultation or prescription of a licensed physician. This includes evaluating the intensity of signs and symptoms which could lead to treating oneself with a medicine or seeking urgent medical care. Although SM can be deemed as safe for one's health, drug accessibility accounts for an irrational choice of medicines and thus exposes oneself to the adverse effects of these medicines. Several regional studies have provided sufficient evidence about how SM has commonly been practiced and held in some settings, such as pharmacies. Aim In this study, we aimed to assess the practice and awareness of SM in the general public. Thus, we utilized a questionnaire-based survey to analyze SM awareness and practice among the general population in Jeddah and Makkah. In addition, we examined the impact of demographic variables, such as educational level, economic status, age, etc. on SM practice. Methods A cross-sectional survey was distributed via social media platforms in June 2020. The study included Jeddah and Makkah's general public, all different nationalities, and both genders, and it excluded participants below the age 18-year-old and with mental and cognitive instability. After extrapolating the sample size at a 95% confidence level with an estimated 50% response distribution, a margin of error ±5%, and accounting for a 5% non-response rate, the estimated sample size was determined to be 404. Results A total of 642 participants completed the online-based survey, but only 472 responses fit the study criteria. Most of the participants (64.6%) did not consult with a physician, i.e., practiced SM, whereas (34.5%) have visited a doctor. Furthermore, people who did not visit a doctor had the commonest belief (26.1%) that they did not need a doctor to investigate their symptoms. The awareness of SM among the general public in Makkah and Jeddah was assessed by asking whether they deem this practice harmful, harmless, or beneficial. 65.9% of the participants deemed the practice of SM as harmful, and 17.6% regarded the act as harmless. Conclusion This study revealed that 64.6% of the general public of Jeddah and Makkah practice self-medication, even though 65.9% deemed this act harmful. The contradiction between the public's opinion and the actual behavior towards self-medication implies the need for more awareness of self-medication and the importance of exploring the incentives of such behavior.
背景 自我药疗（SM）可定义为在未咨询持牌医生或无医生处方的情况下获取和使用药品的不当行为。这包括对体征和症状的严重程度进行评估，这可能导致自行用药或寻求紧急医疗护理。尽管自我药疗可能被认为对健康无害，但药品的可及性导致了对药物的不合理选择，从而使自身暴露于这些药物的不良反应之中。一些地区性研究已经提供了充分的证据，证明在某些场所，如药店，自我药疗是如何普遍存在的。
目的 在本研究中，我们旨在评估普通公众中自我药疗的行为及认知情况。因此，我们采用了基于问卷的调查来分析吉达和麦加普通人群中自我药疗的认知和行为。此外，我们还研究了人口统计学变量，如教育水平、经济状况、年龄等对自我药疗行为的影响。
方法 2020年6月通过社交媒体平台进行了一项横断面调查。该研究涵盖了吉达和麦加的普通公众，包括所有不同国籍和性别的人群，排除了18岁以下以及精神和认知不稳定的参与者。在95%置信水平下，估计回复率为50%，误差幅度为±5%，并考虑5%的无回复率后，确定估计样本量为404。
结果 共有642名参与者完成了在线调查，但只有472份回复符合研究标准。大多数参与者（64.6%）未咨询医生，即进行了自我药疗，而（34.5%）的人看过医生。此外，未看医生的人最普遍的看法（26.1%）是他们不需要医生来检查症状。通过询问吉达和麦加的普通公众是否认为这种行为有害、无害或有益来评估他们对自我药疗的认知。65.9%的参与者认为自我药疗行为有害，17.6%的人认为该行为无害。
结论 本研究表明，吉达和麦加64.6%的普通公众进行自我药疗，尽管65.9%的人认为这种行为有害。公众对自我药疗的看法与实际行为之间的矛盾意味着需要提高对自我药疗的认识，并探索这种行为背后的动机。
