Assessment of self-medication practices among nursing students of Northeast India: a cross-sectional study

Background and aims: This study aimed to assess the self-medication practice of the nursing students of Northeast India during the last month. The knowledge, attitude, and perceptions/practices of nursing students toward self-medication were also attempted to assess. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used to conduct this study among nursing students from various states of the Northeast region of India in April 2023. Data was collected from the Nursing students using a simple random sampling technique. The pre-tested, semi-structured questionnaire was adopted along with some modifications to gather the necessary information on socio-demographic characteristics and determinants for the self-medication practice. Data from a total of 226 nursing students were received via the online questionnaire. Statistical software SPSS version-29 was used for data analysis. Results: The median age of the participants was 21 years (IQR [20-23]). Most of the participants were female (97%). Students with older age (odd ratio: 1.670) and higher academic years (ODD RATIO: 1.034) were proportionally correlated with the self-medication practice. Fever (38%), Headache (24%), and Cold and cough (13%) were commonly reported conditions for self-medication. Paracetamol (n=139) was commonly self-medicated by the nursing students. Old prescriptions (35%) and pharmacy shopkeepers (27%) were the primary source of information about drugs. Most students were using drugs repeatedly (32%) and suggested self-medication may be done if the uses of the medicines are known (68%). Conclusion: Considering the attitude and perception of nursing students toward self-medication, awareness and education among the nursing students and the general population must be prioritised, and the use of drugs must be regulated and monitored among them.    

Keywords: Self-Medication; Nursing; Northeast India; Paracetamol; Fever; Awareness