ArticleBMC medical education2025
Inappropriate use of propranolol among medical students in Palestine: cross-sectional study.
Article in BMC medical education, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Beta-Blocker Use and Self-Reported Sleep Changes Among Medical Students in Jordan: A Cross-Sectional Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Knowledge, attitudes, and patterns of nonmedical beta-blockers use among medical students: a comparative study between Lebanon and Armenia.BMC medical education · 2026Article
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6 authors.
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Abstract
introductionMedical students' inappropriate propranolol use, driven by exam stress, is a developing concern. This study examined propranolol misuse among Palestinian medical students at An-Najah National University. METHODOLOGY: This is a cross-sectional study that included second to sixth-year medical students at An-Najah National University in Palestine. An online self-administrated Arabic questionnaire was developed by researchers. This 29-question, three-section questionnaire was sent to eligible participants via university email and student Facebook groups. The data collection period extended from August to September 2023.
resultsA total of 401 students participated in the survey. The majority of the respondents were females (227, 57%) and final-year medical students (137, 34%). The utilization of propranolol was identified in 12% in our study. About 60% engaged in self-prescribing doses ranging between 10 and 20 mg, with 56% falling within this range. The main motivation for self-prescribing was to alleviate anxiety symptoms (88%), particularly before objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) (89%) or presentations (39%). 68% of students expressed awareness of the potential side effects. Statistical analysis revealed significant associations between propranolol use and factors such as age (p < 0.001), academic year (p < 0.001), the presence of chronic diseases (p = 0.011), and psychoactive drug use (p = 0.045).
conclusionPropranolol was used by 12% of the surveyed medical students, with 89% of its users taking it before OSCEs. Despite being aware of its potential side effects, many students still chose to self-medicate, highlighting the role of stress-induced behavior. This emphasizes the importance of stress management strategies before difficult occasions in medical students' journey.
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