Self-prescription of paracetamol by undergraduate students in BP Koirala institution of health sciences

Abstract

Introduction: Self-prescription of medicines are common especially in low income countries. Paracetamol is a common medicine that is self-prescribed also among university students. Incorrect use of paracetamol can lead to ill effects on health including liver failure. There is scarce evidence of the use of paracetamol by self-medication in Nepal. The objective of this study is to evaluate the paracetamol use by self-prescription among the undergraduate students of BPKIHS. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 570 undergraduate students of BPKIHS from February 2016 till July 2016. Pretested semi-structured, self-administered questionnaire was used to collect information regarding socio-demographic characteristics, paracetamol use and perception regarding paracetamol use. Systematic random sampling was done from a list of all medical dental and nursing students to select the study sample. Results: Most (86%) students are in the category of 20-24 years. Female students are slightly more than male. Majority of the students are from Nepal. More than half of the students are from medical stream. Self-prescription of paracetamol is seen among 90.1% of the students in our study. Correct dose of paracetamol was mentioned by less than half (49.3%) of the students. Self-prescription of paracetamol is considered beneficial by all participants of this study. Conclusions: Self-prescription of paracetamol by health sciences students of B P Koirala Institute of Health Sciences is high, while the knowledge of correct dose of paracetamol for adults is low. There is a need to further explore this gap and possibly conduct further studies for other medicines as well.