Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice on Over-the-Counter Drugs among Pharmacy and Medical Students: A Facility-Based Cross-Sectional Study in Punjab, Pakistan

Abstract

Self-medication with over-the-counter (OTC) drugs is common among pharmacy and medical
students. The aim of this study was to evaluate knowledge, attitude and practice of OTC drugs use and
related factors among pharmacy and medical students in Punjab, Pakistan. A cross-sectional study was
carried out on pharmacy and medical students from different medical colleges. Chi-square test was used to
test the association between the items. Box-Whisker plot were used to compare the scores and moods median
test was performed for testing the significance of the median scores. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The majority of respondents (93.8% pharmacy and 78.3% medical students)
declared practicing self-medication. Fever and headache was the most common condition where students
opted for self-medication. Statistically significant variations (p < 0.001) were observed in the knowledge of
medical and pharmacy students regarding the safety and effectiveness of OTC drugs, use of OTC drugs after
expiry and side effects. Significant variations were also found in the attitudes of college students regarding
the interaction of OTC drugs (p = 0.043) and sharing of OTC drugs (p = 0.011). The source of consultation
before using OTC drugs, situation in which OTC drugs were consumed were some other factors in which
significant variations (p < 0.001) were found regarding the practice of OTC drugs. College students must be
made aware of the importance of rational use of OTC drugs and risks of irrational use in order to increase
their health status