title: Self-prescription of Paracetamol by Undergraduate Students in BP Koirala Institution of Health Sciences.
abstract: Self-prescription of medicines are common especially in low income countries.Paracetamol is a common medicine that is self-prescribed also among university students. Incorrect use of paracetamol can lead to ill effects on health including liver failure. There is scarce evidence of the use of paracetamol by self-medication in Nepal. The objective of this study is to evaluate the paracetamol use by self-prescription among the undergraduate students of BPKIHS.
  
  
  
  A cross-sectional study was conducted among 570 undergraduate students of BPKIHS from February 2016 till July 2016. Pretested semi-structured, self-administered questionnaire was used to collect information regarding socio-demographic characteristics, paracetamol use and perception regarding paracetamol use. Systematic random sampling was done from a list of all medical dental and nursing students to select the study sample.
  
  
  
  Most (86%) students are in the category of 20-24 years. Female students are slightly more than male. Majority of the students are from Nepal. More than half of the students are from medical stream. Self-prescription of paracetamol is seen among 90.1% of the students in our study. Correct dose of paracetamol was mentioned by less than half (49.3%) of the students. Self-prescription of paracetamol is considered beneficial by all participants of this study.
  
  
  
  Self-prescription of paracetamol by health sciences students of B P Koirala Institute of Health Sciences is high, while the knowledge of correct dose of paracetamol for adults is low. There is a need to further explore this gap and possibly conduct further studies for other medicines as well.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Practice and Emergency Medicine, B P Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal.
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Yadav
authors.affiliation: Department of General Practice and Emergency Medicine, B P Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal.
authors.forename: B K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Rai
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health & Community Medicine, B P Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal.
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Budhathoki
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health & Community Medicine, B P Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ghimire
authors.affiliation: Department of General Practice and Emergency Medicine, B P Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal.
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Shrestha
authors.affiliation: Department of General Practice and Emergency Medicine, B P Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal.
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Malla
mesh_terms: D000082:Acetaminophen / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018712:Analgesics, Non-Narcotic / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009390:Nepal; D012651:Self Medication / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013336:Students, Health Occupations / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D018712:Analgesics, Non-Narcotic; D000082:Acetaminophen
keywords: paracetamol; self-prescription; health sciences student; undergraduate students.