Self-Medication Practices Among Allied Health Students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7492/xrswkr93Keywords:
self-medication, allied health students, antibiotic, antimicrobial resistance, adverse reactionAbstract
Self-medication, as an act of self-care at its core, covers the selection, dosage, and administration of medications to oneself without valid prescriptions.
Among population groups, allied health students exist as vulnerable to self-medication, leaving them at risk to unwarranted therapy, delayed diagnosis and
treatment, microbial resistance, and adverse drug events, necessitating the need for investigation and action. This quantitative-descriptive study was conducted to
examine the practice of self-medication among allied health students. An adapted form of the Self-Medication Study Questionnaire tool was administered to allied
health students from a university in Iloilo City, Philippines during the second semester of academic year 2024-2025 enlisted through total enumeration from all
levels. Data was analyzed descriptively to determine prevalence of self-medication and practices in terms of reason, disease, classification, consideration, source,
and adverse reaction. More than 80% of allied health students engaged in self-medication, most commonly for flu-like symptoms, primarily as a result of specialized
knowledge and experience in healthcare, as well as concerns regarding accessibility and affordability. The prevalence of antibiotic self-medication, considering
that pharmacies were identified as a key drug source, is significantly concerning due to the growing risk of antimicrobial resistance, constituting a serious public
health risk and highlighting a critical gap in legislation on the sale and distribution of prescription medications. Non-physician peers and members of the
community play significant roles, acting as sources of both information and drugs. Adverse reactions in self-medication exist as threats to the safety of allied health
students and were found to result in non-physician consults and further self-medication with different drugs. Allied health students widely engage in self-medication,
primarily stemming from specialized knowledge and experience in healthcare and access to resources and social networks which enable self-medication practice,
necessitating strengthened health education and policy reform to streamline proper diagnosis and treatment.
