Self-medication Practice of Antibiotics among Medical and Dental Undergraduate Students in a Medical College in Eastern Nepal: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study.

INTRODUCTION: Self-medication plays significant role in the development of adverse drug reactions, antibiotic resistance, and masking of underlying diseases. Medical students have some knowledge about the use of antibiotics and have a higher chance of irrational and injudicious use. This study aims to find the prevalence of self-medication practice of antibiotics among medical and dental undergraduate students. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was done among medical and dental undergraduate students from the first year to the fifth year at BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences from 1st June 2018 to 30th August 2018. Ethical approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Committee (IRC/1210/018). Whole sampling was done. Data was collected using a self-responding, semistructured questionnaire and analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 11.5. RESULTS: In total 558 students, the prevalence of self-medication practice of different antibiotics was 285 (51.1%) within the past year. Among self-medicated students, 152 (53.3%) were males. The common drug self-medicated was Azithromycin 80 (28.1%) and the common medical condition to use non-prescription antibiotics was for treatment of sore throat with runny nose 129 (45.3%). The main source for obtaining non-prescription antibiotics were retail pharmacies 157 (55.1%). CONCLUSIONS: Self-medication with antibiotics was at increasing rate with each succeeding years of the medical courses. Medical students should be made aware of the rational use of antibiotics by incorporating appropriate courses in their academic curriculum for more refined practice on antibiotics rather than advancement of theoretical knowledge alone.

Prevalence of Substance Use among Undergraduate Students in a Medical College of Nepal.

INTRODUCTION: The consumption of substances is a common practice among the medical students and their use might reduce educational and clinical performances as well as judgment of the students. This study aims to find out the prevalence of substance use among medical students in BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among medical students of BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences from 15th September 15th to December 15th 2018 after obtaining ethical approval from the Institutional Review Committee (Ref: 1394/017). The study was conducted among 326 medical and dental students from first to fifth year by using the stratified sampling method. A self-reported questionnaire was developed which included types, frequency, duration, age to first use, and motives for the use of different substances. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 11.5. RESULTS: The prevalence of substance use among medical students of BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences was 196 (61.4%) at 95% Confidence Interval (56.05-66.75%). Among substance use, the use of alcohol 190 (59.6%), tobacco 90 (28.2%), and marijuana 38 (11.9%) was more prevalent. One hundred forty four (45.2%) male students used more substances as compared to 52 (16.3%) female students. Fun sake or partying 131 (68.9%) was the main motivation of the students to use substances. CONCLUSIONS: The overall substance use among medical students was high compared to other studies. Alcohol was the most common substance misused by the student followed by tobacco and marijuana. Proper counseling and awareness programs about the potential risk of substances are recommended for the betterment of the students.