Ayesha Siddique, Hina Mahmood, Sara Mukhtar, Qurrat, Shamaila Saleem, Maimoona Nasreen.
Self-medication practice among first year medical students in university college of medicine and dentistry, university of Lahore.
Pak J Physiol Jan ;11(2):20-1.

Background: Self-medication is the use of medicines by individuals themselves for the treatment of self-diagnosed ailments/conditions. The objective of this study was to assess the pattern of selfmedication practice among the 1 st year MBBS and BDS students of University College of Medicine and Dentistry (UMCD), Lahore. Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire based study was conducted amongst 1 st year medical students and were selected according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. A structured questionnaire was administered. Purpose of the study was explained to students and confidentiality was ensured. Results: Seventy-four percent of the students practiced self-medication and 26% did not. It was observed that antibiotics (42%) were amongst the commonest drugs used followed by cough suppressants (20%). Most students (62%) reported to use self-medication to save time. Sixty-five percent reported that they recovered completely by self-medication, 21% had other problems, 10% had prolonged morbidity and 4% developed complications. Conclusion: Selfmedication is widely practiced among medical students of UCMD, Lahore.

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