Self-medication tendencies of patients visiting outpatient departments of government homeopathic medical colleges and hospitals in West Bengal, India

Abstract

Background and aims: Self-medication is mostly prevalent in the low- and middle-income population segments of developing countries, thus reflecting the status of health services. Self-medication has frequently been held responsible for inducing drug resistance, higher cost of further treatment, and other complications. The World Health Organization (WHO) promotes self-medication in rural and remote areas to reduce the burden of health services. In this study, the researchers sought to establish the prevalence, consequences, and causes of self-medication. Methods: Multicenter, institution-based, cross-sectional study conducted with 456 participants in May, 2013 at the outpatient clinics of 2 Government homeopathic medical colleges in West Bengal, India. A pilot-tested structured questionnaire consisting of 12 self-administered questions in local vernacular Bengali was used; 8 were close-ended questions providing multiple answer options, while 4 were open-ended. Results: Overall, 12.7% of interviewees admitted to perform self-medication; 57.7% and 66.0% had appropriate knowledge of the medicines and dose regimens, respectively. Females (64.3%) predominated and self-medication was mostly found in age range 31-45 years old (32.5%). Conventional Western medicine (82.2%) was most preferred therapy, and fever (35.7%), hyperacidity (25.4%) and loose stool (24.3%) the most frequently reported complaints. The main causes for self-medication were feeling no need to consult doctor (32.5%), busy schedule (16.4%), family members advice (16.0%), over-the-counter (OTC) availability of medicines without prescription (12.5%), direct consumer pharmaceutical advertisement (12.1%), and high expenditure in private institutes (10.1%). The chi-square distribution of determinants across the two samples differed significantly. The tendency increased proportionately with literacy (Yates' χ2=175.731; p=0.000) and poverty (Yates' χ2=426.817; p=0.000). Conclusion: The results reflect the knowledge, attitude, and practice of self-medication among the participants. Further studies should be undertaken in larger samples and different populations.