Self-medication Practices and Knowledge among Lebanese Population: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Self-medication (SM), practiced globally, is an important public health problem. This is the first study aiming to determine the prevalence of inappropriate usage of drugs among Lebanese patients, assess their knowledge, and identify predicting factors of potentially inappropriate drug intake. This cross-sectional prospective survey was carried out in five Lebanese governorates. A structured interview was done with patients who visited pharmacies. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). A multivariate logistic regression was performed to investigate factors associated with SM, which was reported by 79.1% of 930 interviewed cases. The most common symptoms warranting SM were symptoms relating to ear, nose, and throat diseases (99.0%), gastrointestinal symptoms including nausea and vomiting (75.6%), and cold and flu symptoms (60.1%). Age [adjusted odds ratio (ORa) = 1.44; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.15-1.80; p = 0.002] and sex (ORa = 1.60; CI, 1.16-2.21; p = 0.004) significantly increased the odds of SM. Medication classes commonly consumed by respondents for SM included acetaminophen-based analgesics (48.7%) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (24.6%). Moreover, 83.7% of respondents thought they were knowledgeable about proper dosing of the self-medicated drug (in fact, only 69.0% had adequate knowledge), and 35.5% thought they knew about side effects (assessment showed only 59.5% of them were right). Our study shows that SM is common among Lebanese adults. Hence, reinforcement of laws is necessary to improve access to adequate health care; efforts are needed to increase patients' education regarding the health risk related to inappropriate consumption of medication.

Self‐Medication Practices, Prevalence, and Associated Factors among Syrian Adult Patients: A Cross‐Sectional Study

“…Analgesics, antipyretics, and antibiotics were the most common drug classes used in self-medication. is resembles the findings of a Lebanese study, in which acetaminophen-based analgesics (48.7%), nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (24.6%), and antibiotics (8.8%) were the most commonly used drugs in self-medication [6], but differs from the results of another study conducted in Syria which indicated that the use of antitussives and vitamins was more common than antibiotics [11].…”

“…Self-medication practice was more prominent in ages younger than 40 years old, and a strong association was found between age and SM. is contradicts with a study conducted in Egypt in which self-medication was prevalent in ages older than 40 years old [3], while it associates with other studies held in Saudi Arabia [17], Lebanon [6], and Brazil [9] which also revealed a predominance in younger ages.…”

“…Pharmacists were the main source of advice on which drugs to use in self-medication. eir role as an alternative to medical consultation was also prominent in other studies [3,6,15]. is might be explained by the expensiveness of healthcare services, prolonged waiting periods in clinics and hospitals, and the abundance of, and ease of access to, pharmacies.…”

“…Although a strong association was found between gender and SM in many studies, no significant association was found in this study. is also remains a worldwide point of debate because females were more involved in self-medication practice in some societies [6,9,17], while males were predominant in others [8,18]. Self-medication practice was more prominent in ages younger than 40 years old, and a strong association was found between age and SM.…”

“…Recent studies conducted in di erent parts of the world such as Egypt [3], Jordan [4], Lebanon [6], Palestine [7],…”