Risk factors of antibiotics self-medication practices among university students in Cairo, Egypt
Elden, Nesreen Mohamed Kamal; Nasser, Hebatallah A.; Alli, Aliaa; Mahmoud, Nayra; May Ahmed Shawki; Ibrahim, Abady Abo Elazayem Ahmed; Fahmy, Abdelrahmn Karam;
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Self-medication is a practice with major global implications, especially with antibiotics intake. Self-medication among future health-care professionals could affect their way in prescribing medication in the future. AIM: This study was conducted to estimate the magnitude and the determinants of antibiotics self-medication practices and to describe the pattern of antibiotics abuse among undergraduate university students. METHODS: A cross-section study was conducted among 563 medical students from public and private universities in Cairo, Egypt, using a questionnaire. RESULTS: About 77.7% of the students used antibiotics without prescriptions with no statistical differences by age, sex, residence, or type of universities. More than half of the students (51.7%) do not know the effect of antibiotics abuse on microbial resistance. Most self-treated antibiotics were used to manage gastroenteritis symptoms (70%), respiratory symptoms (63%), and dental infections (36%), other causes such as headache or prophylactic reasons (21%). About 91.7% of the self-medicated students reported access to antibiotics from the pharmacy without a prescription and 71% of them mentioned discontinuation of a course of antibiotics at least once during the last year. About 81% of the students who do not know the effect of antibiotic abuse are self-medicated versus 75% of their counterpart who know and this difference is statistically significant. The multivariate analysis identified the residence as an independent predictor of their knowledge (area of residence = 1.6, 95% confidence interval [1.1–2.3]). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of self-medication with antibiotics among university students in Cairo is high. Our findings highlight the urgent need for tailored interventions to control this practice.
Other data
Title | Risk factors of antibiotics self-medication practices among university students in Cairo, Egypt | Authors | Elden, Nesreen Mohamed Kamal; Nasser, Hebatallah A.; Alli, Aliaa; Mahmoud, Nayra; May Ahmed Shawki ; Ibrahim, Abady Abo Elazayem Ahmed; Fahmy, Abdelrahmn Karam | Keywords | Antibiotics;Medical students;Self-medication | Issue Date | 2-Jan-2020 | Journal | Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences | Volume | 8 | ISSN | 1857-9655 | DOI | 10.3889/oamjms.2020.3323 | Scopus ID | 2-s2.0-85083848996 |
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