Jovanović Željko, Vulić Petra
Faculty of Health Studies, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia.
General Hospital Zadar, Zadar, Croatia.
Front Pharmacol. 2025 Jan 24;16:1536050. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1536050. eCollection 2025.
Pregnancy is a sensitive period during which the use of medicines, whether by prescription or self-medication, is a major challenge as it can have a significant impact on the health of the mother and the development of the foetus. It is important that pregnant women are well-informed about potential risks and benefits and seek advice from healthcare professionals before taking any medication, including over-the-counter medications, to ensure the safety and health of themselves and their unborn child. The aim of this study was to analyse the self-medication practices of pregnant women and their knowledge and attitudes toward medicines in the context of pregnancy. This includes analysing the way pregnant women make decisions about self-medication and their awareness of potential risks and benefits.
A cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of pregnant women from two cities of similar size and status, Zadar and Rijeka, in the period from 1 May 2023 to 1 June 2023 at the Clinical Hospital Centre Rijeka and the General Hospital Zadar.
Of the 128 women interviewed, 56% were taking prescription medication, most frequently in Rijeka, while 69.5% practised self-medication. The most commonly used medications were dietary supplements-75 (44.88%); over-the-counter pain relievers and fever, cough, allergy, cold, and nausea remedies-42 (33.07%); and herbal medicines-8 (6.29%).
Pregnant women need to be better informed about self-medication and the safe use of medication. A total of 94.5% of respondents consider it important to improve educational programmes and access to information about the effects of medication on the health of the foetus and pregnancy outcomes.
孕期是一个敏感时期，在此期间使用药物，无论是通过处方用药还是自我药疗，都是一项重大挑战，因为这可能对母亲的健康和胎儿的发育产生重大影响。孕妇在服用任何药物（包括非处方药）之前，充分了解潜在风险和益处并向医疗保健专业人员咨询，以确保自身和未出生胎儿的安全与健康，这一点非常重要。本研究的目的是分析孕妇的自我药疗行为以及她们在孕期对药物的知识和态度。这包括分析孕妇做出自我药疗决策的方式以及她们对潜在风险和益处的认识。
于2023年5月1日至2023年6月1日期间，在里耶卡临床医院中心和扎达尔总医院，对来自两个规模和地位相似的城市扎达尔和里耶卡的孕妇样本进行了一项横断面研究。
在接受访谈的128名女性中，56%正在服用处方药，这一比例在里耶卡最为常见，而69.5%的女性有自我药疗行为。最常用的药物是膳食补充剂——75种（44.88%）；非处方止痛药、退烧药、止咳药、抗过敏药、感冒药和止吐药——42种（33.07%）；以及草药——8种（6.29%）。
需要让孕妇更好地了解自我药疗和药物的安全使用。共有94.5%的受访者认为改进教育项目以及获取有关药物对胎儿健康和妊娠结局影响的信息很重要。
