ArticlePeerJ2017
Self-medication practices and rational drug use habits among university students: a cross-sectional study from Kahramanmaraş, Turkey.
Article in PeerJ, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Epidemiology of self-medication in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.BMC pharmacology & toxicology · 2018Pooled it
- Analysis of Antibiotic Resistance Patterns and Distribution ofThe Canadian journal of infectious diseases & medical microbiology = Journal canadien des maladies infectieuses et de la microbiologie medicale · 2026Review
- Self-Medication as a Global Health Concern: Overview of Practices and Associated Factors-A Narrative Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Evaluation of medicine use behaviors of adult patients in a rural area: A cross-sectional study from Turkey.Journal of family medicine and primary care · 2024Article
- Unused, expired pharmaceuticals and their disposal practices among the general public in Burdur-Türkiye: a cross-sectional study.BMC public health · 2024Article
- A survey of chloroquine use for prevention and treatment of COVID-19 in Nigeria.African health sciences · 2023Article
- Prevalence of self-medication and associated factors among female students of health science colleges at Majmaah University: A cross-sectional study.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- Self-medication practices and their characteristics among Iranian university students.BMC pharmacology & toxicology · 2022Article
- Risk factors associated with self-medication among the indigenous communities of Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh.PloS one · 2022Article
- Prevalence and predictors of self-medication among university students in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of pharmaceutical policy and practice · 2021Review
- Strategic Analysis of the Turkish Over-the-Counter Drugs and Non-pharmaceutical Products MarketTurkish journal of pharmaceutical sciences · 2021Article
- Self-Medication of Drugs in Nursing Students from Castile and Leon (Spain).International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Knowledge and Awareness of Physicians About Rational Antibiotic Use and Antimicrobial Resistance Before and After Graduation: A Cross-Sectional Study Conducted in Malatya Province in Turkey.Infection and drug resistance · 2021Article
- Self-medication practices and associated factors among households at Gondar town, Northwest Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study.BMC research notes · 2019Article
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2 authors.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSelf-medication refers to the use of medicines to treat self-diagnosed diseases without consulting any healthcare professionals. Irrational drug use and self-medication have serious negative consequences both on health and economy. Therefore, the aim of this study is to assess the habits related to rational use of drugs (RUD) and to estimate the prevalence of self-medication practices among university students.
methodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted on university students in Kahramanmaraş. From May 2017 to June 2017 a total of 960 students filled a "Rational Use of Drugs Questionnaire".
resultsThe prevalence of practicing self-medication in students was 63.4%. The most common medicines that the students had consumed without prescription were analgesics by 39.5%, antibiotics by 36.9% and cold remedies by 24.0%. The rate of students who declared that they were familiar with RUD and "rational use of antibiotics" (RUA) was 45.9%. Reading/checking the instructions in the prospectus (OR = 1.529, 95% CI [1.176-1.990]), understanding the context of the prospectus (OR = 1.893, 95% CI [1.387-2.584]), compliance with the duration of antibiotic treatment (OR = 1.597, 95% CI [1.231-2.071]) and consulting a physician in case of a side effect (OR = 1.350, 95% CI [1.037-1.757]) were significantly higher among students who were familiar with RUD as compared to who were not. DISCUSSION: Since the awareness of RUD among university students was found to be inadequate, it has critical importance to hold educational activities with the cooperation of physicians, health organizations, universities, non-governmental organizations and media to avoid negative consequences of irrational drug use and self-medication.
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