Pharmacy undergraduates

Self-medication is an issue of great concern particularly in developing countries like Nigeria where there is unrestricted access to drugs, including prescription only medicines. There is paucity of data on self-medication among pharmacy undergraduates in Nigeria. The aim of this descriptive cross sectional study was to assess the prevalence of self-medication among undergraduate pharmacy students of the University of Uyo, Nigeria. The study was carried out between October and November, 2015, using self-administered questionnaires, which were collected in the various classes after completion. Data were analyzed using Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) Version 16.0.  The prevalence of self-medication in this study was 82.0% with most frequently reported illness being fever/malaria (33.2%). The major reasons for self-medication were mildness of the disease (48.2%) and being knowledgeable about drugs (22.5%). Analgesics (70.2%) and antibiotics (61.9%) were the two most frequently used classes of medications, most of which were obtained from pharmacy outlets (60.9%). Academic knowledge (24.7%) was the most frequently reported source of drug information for self-medication in this study. The prevalence of self-medication among undergraduate Pharmacy students of the University of Uyo was high. No demographic characteristic was found to affect self-medication practice. In other to reduce the practice of self-medication among Pharmacy undergraduates and hence minimize its attendant negative effects, efforts to promote responsible self-medication and rational drug use should be intensified in Schools of Pharmacy.