SELF-MEDICATION KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE, AND PRACTICE AMONG SOMALI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY MEDICAL STUDENTS, MOGADISHU, SOMALIA, 2022

Abstract

Self-medication involves getting and taking medications first without consulting a doctor, whether for diagnosing, prescriptions, or therapeutic monitoring. Self-medication could result in excessive costs, morbidity increases owing to adverse events, and antibiotic resistance. As a result, enhancing respondent awareness and attitudes is essential for decreasing self-medication. Our purpose was to examine medical students' knowledge, attitude, and practice for self-medication at Somali National University in 2022. An institution based cross-sectional study was done for a total of 238 eligible participants were enrolled using simple random sampling. A pre-configured, structured, self-administered questionnaire was utilized to collect the data. When asked, 77.7% of individuals asked said they had a firm understanding of self-medication, while 61.8% thought it was a good idea. Furthermore, the major reason for self-medication (43.7%) was headache (pain). Self-medication is often used among medical students at Somali National University, according to this study. The majority of the participants had good knowledge toward self-medication, yet, their self-medication practices are still mostly poor. As a result, concerned parties must increase their knowledge, attitude, and practice on the implications of self-medication.