Abstract

Background: Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs come with their own set of adverse effects and this is a major public health concern in India.

Aims and Objectives: This study aims to assess the existing patterns of usage and level of awareness among medical and paramedical students of a tertiary care hospital.

Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study was conducted over a period of 1 month among 300 students in tertiary care hospital. One hundred students were chosen randomly from three courses – Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS), D. Pharmacy, and B.Sc. Nursing.

Results: All the respondents belonged to the age group of 18–22 years. It was found that only 27.3% of the respondents bought drugs without a doctor’s prescription over the past 1 year. Lowest prevalence of OTC drug usage was found in B.Sc. Nursing students. The most common symptoms reported were cold/cough (49.3%), fever (33.3%), and headache (29.7%). The most common classes of drugs used were analgesics (36%), antibiotics (32%), and cough syrups (31%). Antihistamines and antacids/laxatives were used to a lesser extent. Among the 300 respondents, 49.7% of them knew the meaning of the term “OTC drugs” with 27.3% of them having recommended OTC drugs to others. Among the three courses, MBBS students had the highest awareness and D. Pharmacy students had the least awareness. There was a significant association between the level of awareness and socioeconomic status as well as between the level of awareness and course studied.

Conclusion: This study revealed that the prevalence of self-medication with OTC drugs among medical and paramedical students is low. However, awareness also remains very low.

Key words: Level of Awareness; Over-the-counter Drugs; Socioeconomic Status; Self-medication