Study on Self-medicating in the Municipality of Arroyohondo-Bolívar (Colombian Caribbean Coast)
Keywords:
self medication; , Colombia; , public health; , drug utilizationAbstract
Introduction: Self-medicating emerged as a strategy to reduce the burden of care for minor or trivial illnesses, in the increasingly congested health services and has now become a worldwide public health problem, regardless of sex, age, socioeconomic stratum or educational level.
Objective: To determine the percentage of inhabitants who use self-medicating as a frequent practice to solve their health problems, as well as the main factors associated with this practice.
Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive observational study was carried out with inhabitants of the municipality of Arroyohondo. The survey was developed and validated to determine four variables: sociodemographic data, basic knowledge, sociocultural factors and self-medicating management. In the data analysis, an Excel database was constructed and descriptive statistics were used to represent the data through pie charts, bars and tabulations. Additionally, the population was educated on the rational use of drugs and the consequences of irresponsible self-medicating.
Results: The survey was applied to 373 people. Eighty-three percent of the population considers that medicines are substances that prevent, alleviate or cure disease; however, 53% are aware of their undesirable side effects and 82% that they could even cause death. Sixty-seven percent believe that their use without a doctor's prescription is a frequent practice in their family or community. Although 91 % said that they have at some time consumed a drug without a prescription to treat some health problem, and only 86 % considered that this is synonymous with self-medication.
Conclusions: Self-medicating is a highly frequent practice favored by sociocultural and economic factors. There is an unhealthy cycle of consuming and recommending drugs that could be stopped with an effective pharmaceutical education campaign.
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