Differences of Self-Medication-Related Behavior among Medical Students before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has turned into a global public health emergency, followed by several changes in the situation. Change is occurring in healthcare where doctors are reducing hours of practice and people are anxious about coming into contact with infected patients or contaminated objects in healthcare. Medical students are one of the most frequently used self-medication practitioners. This study examines whether there are differences in behavior related to self-medication before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. This research is a comparative descriptive study with a cross sectional research design. This study took a population of students from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Lampung. Samples were taken using a non-probability sampling technique, in the form of consecutive sampling. This study compared self-medication behaviors before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. There were six self-medication-related behaviors that were compared in this study using frequency comparison tables and charts. There is a difference in the average self-medication behavior, from 3.00 before the COVID-19 pandemic, to 3.48 during the COVID-19 pandemic. There are several behaviors related to self-medication that were carried out for the first time during the COVID-19 pandemic, which were not previously carried out. There are various reasons for refraining from visiting the doctor when exposed to health problems before and during the pandemic, namely the emergence of reasons for fear of visiting clinics or homes because they could come in contact with infected patients or contaminated objects during the COVID-19 pandemic. There are differences in behavior related to self-medication before and during the COVID-19 pandemic by students of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Lampung.