A cross-sectional study on knowledge and practice of over-the-counter drugs among 2nd year medical students in a tertiary care teaching hospital

Background: Over the counter drugs (OTC) are the drugs that can be sold by the pharmacist without the prescription of registered medical practitioner. There is an increase in the trend of usage of OTC drugs because of busy lifestyle which can result in adverse drug reactions, drug interaction, abuse, and misuse of drugs. Since medical students are future doctors and play an important role in educating the patients regarding benefits and risks of using OTC drugs, the present study is undertaken to assess the knowledge and practice of OTC drugs among MBBS students. Aim and Objectives: The main objectives of this study was to determine the commonly used OTC drugs and indications for the use of OTC drugs among MBBS students and to assess their knowledge on safety of use of OTC drugs. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional, observational, and questionnaire-based study was conducted during December 2021 among 2nd year MBBS students, after getting approval from the Institutional Ethics Committee. Students were explained about the purpose of the study and questionnaire was administered to the students. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: In our study, we observed that 75.3% of students practiced self-medication (SM) using OTC drugs for minor illnesses. The most common drugs used for SM were analgesics, antipyretics and antihistamines. The most common reason for using OTC drugs is due to influence from family and friends/seniors (30.2%). Conclusion: Use of OTC is widely practiced among health care professionals, since they are exposed to knowledge of drugs, from 2nd year MBBS itself. Since students are future doctors and play a very important role in communication of knowledge regarding medical therapy including use of OTC drugs to the patients, they should be educated in a larger way regarding pros and consequences of use of OTC drugs.