ArticleFrontiers in public health2022
Self-Medication Practices in Medical Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Analysis.
Article in Frontiers in public health, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 30 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
30 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 68 citations in OpenAlex.
- Prevalence and patterns of self-medication in Pakistan: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC public health · 2025Pooled it
- A systematic review of self-medication practice during the COVID-19 pandemic: implications for pharmacy practice in supporting public health measures.Frontiers in public health · 2023Pooled it
- Prevalence of self-medication during COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2022Pooled it
- The Sore Throat and Antibiotic Resistance (STAR) Study in Malaysia: Nationwide Survey of Antibiotic Use for Upper Respiratory Tract Infection and Sore Throat.Advances in therapy · 2026Article
- Prescription-only medicine requests by clients: Insights from community pharmacies.Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy · 2026Article
- Prevalence and determinants of self-medication among medical undergraduates: a cross-sectional study.Annals of medicine and surgery (2012) · 2026Article
- Social determinants of self-medication practice by caregivers among pediatrics population in Pakistan: a logistic regression analysis of a prospective cross-sectional study.Annals of medicine and surgery (2012) · 2025Article
- Factors associated with Peruvian students' knowledge of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug management in pediatric dentistry: a cross-sectional study.BMC medical education · 2025Article
- Psychological Symptoms and Self-Medication Behavior among COVID-19 Recoverees.Iranian journal of psychiatry · 2025Article
- Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Toward Self-Medication Among Pharmacy Undergraduates in Penang, Malaysia: A Cross-Sectional Study.Pharmacy (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Prevalence of self-medication with vitamin or mineral supplements in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC nutrition · 2025Article
- Analysis of the Use of Over-the-Counter Therapy for the Prevention and Treatment of COVID-19.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2025Observational
- Self-medication pattern among medical students in Middle Delta, Egypt.BMC medical education · 2025Article
- A Multicenter Survey on Pharmacists' Perspectives on Self-Medication Issues in Romania: A Descriptive Study Towards Sustainable and Safe Pharmaceutical Practices.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Prevalence of self-medication among university students diagnosed with temporomandibular disorders.Journal of oral & facial pain and headache · 2024Article
- Consumer awareness and knowledge regarding use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in a metropolitan area.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2024Article
- Assessing the Reasons and Adverse Effects of Self-Medication in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Sierra Leone. A Case Study of Moriba Town Section.Risk management and healthcare policy · 2024Article
- Antimicrobial stewardship: knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding antimicrobial use and resistance among non-healthcare students at the University of Zambia.JAC-antimicrobial resistance · 2023Article
- Utilization of Over-the-Counter Painkillers Among Medical Students During Academic Examinations.Cureus · 2023Article
- Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Self-Medication Including Antibiotics among Health Care Professionals during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Pakistan: Findings and Implications.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background and Objectives: During the pandemic, the growing influence of social media, accessibility of over-the-counter medications, and fear of contracting the virus may have led to self-medication practices among the general public. Medical students are prone to such practices due to relevant background knowledge, and access to drugs. This study was carried out to determine and analyze the prevalence of self-medication practices among medical students in Pakistan. Materials and Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted online in which the participants were asked about the general demographics, their self-medication practices and the reasons to use. All participants were currently enrolled in a medical college pursuing medical or pharmacy degree. Non-probability sampling technique was used to recruit participants. Results: A total of 489 respondents were included in the final analysis. The response rate was 61%. Majority of the respondents were females and 18-20 years of age. Self-medication was quite prevalent in our study population with 406 out of 489 individuals (83.0%) were using any of the drugs since the start of pandemic. The most commonly utilized medications were Paracetamol (65.2%) and multivitamins (56.0%). The reasons reported for usage of these medications included cold/flu, or preventive measures for COVID-19. The common symptoms reported for self-medication included fever (67.9%), muscle pain (54.0%), fatigue (51.7%), sore throat (46.6%), and cough (44.4%). Paracetamol was the most commonly used drug for all symptoms. Female gender, being in 3rd year of medical studies, and individuals with good self-reported health were found more frequent users of self-medication practices. Conclusion: Our study revealed common self-medication practices among medical and pharmacy students. It is a significant health issue especially during the pandemic times, with high consumption reported as a prevention or treating symptoms of COVID-19.
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