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Self-medication Practices for COVID-19 Prevention: A Study among Medical Students in Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Journal of Research in Pharmacy ; 26(7):1960-1968, 2022.
Article in English | EMBASE | ID: covidwho-2299762
ABSTRACT
The corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has increased the interest in self-care strategies, including self-medication. Medical students, as future health practitioners, learn more about medications than other students. This study aimed to describe self-medication practices for preventing COVID-19 among medical students at Universitas Islam Indonesia. This observational study used a cross-sectional design and was undertaken in November- December 2020. The study sample included 336 undergraduate medical students determined using a consecutive sampling technique based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data were collected using an online questionnaire about self-medication practices in the preceding 3 months. Among a total of 336 students, 137 (41%) reported using self-medication intending to prevent COVID-19, and 126 (92%) of these 137 took preventive supplements, mainly vitamins C, D, and E, and omega-3. Seven students reported the use of zinc, mainly in combination with other vitamins. Students who practiced self-medication lived closer to people confirmed with COVID-19, washed their hands more often, and desinfected their belongings more frequently than their counterparts (p<0.05). The mean duration for consuming vitamins was 11-16 days. Forty students (29%) used herbal medicine to prevent COVID-19;ginger, turmeric, honey, black seed, cutcherry, and Curcuma were the most often consumed herbal remedies. Fourteen students (10%) reported taking over-the-counter medications to relieve symptoms related to COVID-19, including antipyretic, analgesic, antiseptic, antihistamine, decongestant, antitussive, and expectorant medications. Most respondents (82%) purchased their medications at pharmacies, and 11 (9%) obtained them from online shops. These findings show the high rate of self-medication using vitamins and herbal remedies for COVID-19 prevention among university medical students. Further studies are needed to explore students' knowledge about the risks of self-medication including the use of herbal medicines.Copyright © 2022 Marmara University Press.
Keywords
covid-19; herbal medicine; medical students; self-medication; vitamin; adult; article; aubergine; Averrhoa; Averrhoa carambola; black cumin; carrot; celery; Cinnamomum; cinnamon; Citrus; clinical practice; consultation; controlled study; coronavirus disease 2019/pc [Prevention]; coughing; cross-sectional study; Curcuma; Cymbopogon citratus; diarrhea; disinfection; Dunaliella salina; eagle; Eucalyptus; fatigue; female; fever; fruit; Garcinia mangostana; ginger; hand washing; headache; honey; human; Indonesia; infection prevention; lemon; major clinical study; male; Malus sylvestris; medical student; Momordica charantia; Morinda citrifolia; nausea; observational study; online analysis; papaya; pharmacy (shop); potato; questionnaire; Saccharina japonica; self medication; social distancing; Solanum; Spirulina; symptom; tamarind; undergraduate student; wood; alpha tocopherol; antihistaminic agent; antiinfective agent; antipyretic agent; antipyretic analgesic agent; antitussive agent; ascorbic acid; astaxanthin; caffeine; caffeine plus paracetamol; calcium; calcium oxide; chlorpheniramine; decongestive agent; dexchlorpheniramine maleate; dextromethorphan; expectorant agent; fluorouracil; guaifenesin; herbaceous agent; ibuprofen; immunoglobulin; immunomodulating agent; immunostimulating agent; iron; multivitamin; non prescription drug; omega 3 fatty acid; paracetamol; phenylephrine; phenylpropanolamine; probiotic agent; pseudoephedrine; rapeseed oil; soman; soybean oil; turmeric; vitamin B complex; vitamin D; zinc; face mask; Averrhoa bilimbi; citrus maxima; cutcherry; eagle marmelos; musa acuminafe fructus; pandanus conoideus; pyrus marus; solanum lycoprsicum; bodrex extra; decolgen; intunal; tuzalos

Full text: Available Collection: Databases of international organizations Database: EMBASE Topics: Traditional medicine Language: English Journal: Journal of Research in Pharmacy Year: 2022 Document Type: Article

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Full text: Available Collection: Databases of international organizations Database: EMBASE Topics: Traditional medicine Language: English Journal: Journal of Research in Pharmacy Year: 2022 Document Type: Article