ArticleRisk management and healthcare policy2021
Prevalence and Predictors of Self-Medication with Antifungal Drugs and Herbal Products Among University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study from Egypt.
Article in Risk management and healthcare policy, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Self-medication in times of illness: a multi-center cross-sectional study among medical students in Egypt.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- Assessing antifungal stewardship competency among pharmacy students: key findings and implications for clinical practice.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Unravelling the dilemma of self-medication in Egypt: a cross-sectional survey on knowledge, attitude, and practice of the general Egyptian population.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Antifungal resistance and stewardship: a knowledge, attitudes and practices survey among pharmacy students at the University of Zambia; findings and implications.JAC-antimicrobial resistance · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
background and purposeIrrational use of drugs for self-medication (SM) is a worldwide public health problem which results in treatment failure, economic loss, and increased burden of morbidity and mortality. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore SM with antifungal drugs and herbal products among university students in Egypt.
methodsA cross-sectional sectional study was conducted over 7 months among 403 university students in Egypt. The students were invited to complete a self-administered questionnaire through an online Google form. Questionnaire items included socio-demographic characteristics of the students, practice of and attitude towards SM with antifungal drugs, and SM with herbal products.
resultsPrevalence of SM with antifungal drugs among students stood at 38.2%. The main reasons for SM with antifungal drugs were perceiving their health problem as being minimal, followed by having fears of a doctor's visit. About 73% of the students thought that SM was not a safe practice. Older age (AOR = 1.5, 95% CI= 1.3-1.8), affiliation to a private university (AOR = 3.7, 95% CI= 2.2-6.4), and being a medical student (AOR =2.4, 95% CI= 1.3-4.5) were the significant predictors of SM with antifungal drugs. A high prevalence of SM with herbal products (70.7%) was reported, with most students having used some form of herbal weight loss preparation (64%). Being a Cairo resident (AOR= 2.4, 95% CI =1.5-3.8, P<0.05) and being a medical student (AOR= 2.1, 95% CI =1.3-3.4, P<0.05) were the significant predictors of SM with herbal products.
conclusionIn the current study, SM was common among Egyptian university students. Providing counseling and public health education to university students with regards to SM is crucial. Implementing strict regulations and the full enforcement of excitant laws pertaining to the use of medication supplies is also needed. Herbal products should face the scrutiny of evidence-based medicine. Further studies are needed to evaluate the impact of SM among university students.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.