Self-medication among undergraduates of the School of Medicine of the Juiz de Fora Federal University

Abstract

Self-medication, an initiative that springs from the patient or their care, consists of the use of a product aimed at treating a disease or relieving symptoms. In spite of the existence of over-the-counter drugs, the patient should not use them inappropriately. This study aimed to investigate the main reasons underlying self-medication of undergraduates of the Medical School of the Juiz de Fora Federal University. A 10-item questionnaire was answered by 213 students from the 1st, 2nd, 8th, and 9th periods. Results: Self-medication was found in 76.05% (162/213); a hundred and fifty of 213 (90.03%) deemed a medical consultation unnecessary; from the 1st and 2nd periods 36/87 (41,13%) of the students were advised by relatives and/or friends, while 5/87 (5,74%) relied on their own judgment; the rates for those in the 8th and 9th periods were 5,68% (5/88) were advised by relatives and/or friends, while 45,45% (40/88) relied on their own judgment. Conclusion: self-medication is very frequent among medical undergraduates. A feeling of self-sufficiency being more frequent among those in the more advanced periods; for those in the first two periods, self-medication is chiefly based on advice from relatives and friends; those in the more advanced periods base their attitude on their own knowledge.