Background: Self-medication is a significant public health problem that negatively affects human health. Many Moroccans have turned to this practice as a form of prevention or treatment for the newly emerged coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) worldwide. Objectives: This study is the first research conducted in Morocco in the context of this pandemic, aiming to explore the prevalence, sources of information, causes, and risk factors of self-medication during the pandemic period. Methods: A cross-sectional survey using a self-administered questionnaire was conducted in the city of Meknes (North Central of Morocco) from March 2022 to June 2022 to investigate the level of self-medication practices before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: The survey included 400 respondents from the general population (mean age = 34.97 ± 15.8 years). The self-medication rate was obtained as 291 (72.75%). There was a statistically significant decrease in the number of respondents practicing self-medication during COVID-19 compared to the pre-pandemic period. Most medications used for self-medication to prevent or treat COVID-19 were supplements such as vitamin C (81.10%) and zinc (74.91%), followed by acetaminophen (72.51%) and herbal products (69.41%). In the bivariate logistic regression model, age, gender, education level, self-reported health, sector of activity, and medical insurance were analyzed. Multivariate analyses showed that the youngest age group (≤ 30 years) (odds ratio (OR) = 1.59; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.96 - 2.78), university education (OR = 1.47; 95% CI: 0.87 - 2.99), and better self-reported health (OR = 2.83; 95% CI: 1.43 - 3.71) were independently associated with self-medication. Conclusions: Self-medication was a serious health concern in Morocco during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study will be of great interest to the authorities in order to develop new pandemic management strategies, particularly self-medication awareness programs.

Background: during their academic activities, nursing students are required to carry out clinical internships during which they can be exposed to contamination by bloodborne pathogens. Objective: The study was carried out to determine the prevalence and associated factors of occupational exposure to biological material potentially infected by blood in a population of nursing students. Methods: a cross sectional design was used in this study and a self-administered questionnaire was provided to students. The research work was conducted from February 20, 2022 to March 15, 2022. Results: the questionnaire was completed by 119 students. A total of 94 (78.99%) of the participants were female with mean age of 20.46 ± 1.16 years. 48 (40.34%) exposures were recorded with corresponding incidence rates of 0.4 exposures/person/year. With at least one accidental exposure to blood in 21 (43.75%) students. The OR analysis made by year of study showed that the ratio between the exposure risk was lower than1 with p > 0.05. The comparison between the different nursing specialties showed a significant difference between the students of General Nurses and Family and Community Health Nurses. The variables associated to exposures to blood were: Female sex and personal protective equipment. Conclusion: during their clinical training, nursing students face several types of risks including biological through blood. In order to prevent the occurrence of these incidents, the consequences of which can be fatal, it is necessary to invest in training sessions and our institute should set up a local management unit for following the exposed students.