title: Perceptions and practices of self-medication among medical students in coastal South India.
abstract: Self-medication is a common practice worldwide and the irrational use of drugs is a cause of concern. This study assessed the prevalence of self-medication among the medical students in South India. The data was analysed using SPSS version 11.5. A total of 440 students were included in the study. The prevalence of self-medication was 78.6%. A larger number of females were self-medicating (81.2%) than males (75.3%). The majority of the students self-medicated because of the illness being too trivial for consultation (70.5%). Antipyretics were most commonly self-medicated by the participants (74.8%). Only 47% of the participants opined that self-medication was a part of self-care and it needs to be encouraged. 39.3% of the participants perceived that the supply of medicine without prescription by the pharmacist can prevent the growing trend of self-medication. Easy availability and accessibility to health care facilities remains the cornerstone for reducing the practice of self-medication.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal University, Mangalore, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Nithin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: Tanuj
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kanchan
authors.forename: Bhaskaran
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Unnikrishnan
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rekha
authors.forename: Prasanna
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mithra
authors.forename: Vaman
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kulkarni
authors.forename: Mohan Kumar
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Papanna
authors.forename: Ramesh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Holla
authors.forename: Surabhi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Uppal
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D058633:Antipyretics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011307:Drug Prescriptions; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012651:Self Medication / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013337:Students, Medical; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D058633:Antipyretics