Use of Internet for Practice of Self-Medication

Abstract

Background: Internet has become the major source of health-related information, leading to a growing trend toward unsupervised self-medication using internet. This survey was conducted to assess the extent of internet use to obtain health information/self-medication, their perception regarding side effects of drug used, types/quality of information, and which site was commonly surfed for information. Materials and Methods: A web-based tool (Google Forms) was used to develop a questionnaire to obtain information about extent and impact of internet on self-medication by general population. The questionnaire included 9 questions along with demographic details of participants. The questionnaire was sent to participants by WhatsApp and E-mail and their responses were analyzed. Results: Four hundred and forty-eight (56%) persons responded to survey. There were 226 (50.4%) males and 222 (49.6%) females. The average age of responders was 35.10 years. Overall, 59.8% of responders used internet to obtain health information and self-medication. Out of these, 54.47% took allopathic medications without consulting the doctors. The majority of persons self-medicated for minor illnesses, but 11.6% of persons self-diagnosed and self-medicated for serious illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, cancers, and psychological problems. 23.2% of peoples think that information on internet carries no risk for self-medication and 21% think that internet use can be a substitute for consulting a doctor. Google was the most common site (93.8%) surfed by participants. The health information provided on net was perceived as very good by 43.7%. Conclusions: There are growing trends toward the self-medication using internet. The health information on internet should be made easier, simpler, and safer to achieve positive health outcomes, but patients should be discouraged for self-medication. To support the safe and appropriate use of nonprescription medicines, minimum practice standards should be set by the governing medical bodies in each country.</ABS>

Correlation between enhancing stresses and trends of self-medication among young girls in Chandigarh

“…The most potential sources of information of drug for SM had been found as pharmacists, previous prescriptions, friends and family. The same trends have also been documented by earlier works too both from the urban and rural areas in India [1,3,4,10,14,28,32]. But the present study has found the prominent role of the internet, social media and peers in promoting the habit of SM among the young and educated females in Chandigarh.…”

“…In the current study age, work-profile, loneliness, lack of social security, availability of information and resources of drugs were found to be significantly related to the rising trends of SM among young females in the city. Similar relationships in the younger populations were observed by other workers also [4,19,22,27,29].…”

“…Some workers have even reported the use of drugs for major ailments like heart diseases, diabetes, cancer, psychological and GIT (Gastro intestinal tract), COVID-19 etc. [1,4,30]. Such inclinations were reported due leaning on internet for all types of information by our youngsters.…”

“…Stress is a buzz word in today's society, victimising many of us. The word does not discriminate male or female, young or old, rural or urban, working or non-working, literate or illiterate population of any society [1][2][3][4]. The stress causing agents or stressors may be personal (physical, biological, psychological), social or environmental but in every situation, pose a challenge to an individual to change and adapt accordingly [5].…”

Level of self-medication awareness to internet usage among selected, non-medical students in Centro Escolar university-Manila during COVID-19 pandemic

“…Although self-medication might save time and money, it also has hazards associated, such as antibiotic resistance or improper management leading to complications [1]. One of the studies showed that almost 60% of people who self-medicate use the internet as a source, and the majority (54.47%) took medications without consulting doctors [2]. The prevalence of self-medication was 69.0% among nonmedical students, whereas headache was the predominant ailment for which the medications were used.…”