Factors influencing self-medication during the pandemic in university students

Abstract

Introduction: Self-medication is a public health problem, which can generate various adverse health effects, in fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) considers it as one of the most important causes of Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) , which have an approximate percentage of 6.8% hospitalization. Objective: to identify the factors that influence self-medication in times of pandemic in students of the Nursing Career of the Technical University of Machala - Ecuador during the months of January - April 2021. Methodology: the preparation of this work was carried out with a quantitative approach, descriptive type of cross section. An instrument previously validated at the discretion of experts was applied to students of a university residence in Chillán, Chile. The sample consisted of 62 fourth-cycle students of the Nursing Career at the Technical University of Machala. Data analysis was carried out using tables of frequencies and percentages using a statistical program. Results: It was possible to show that in the last four months 85% of fourth-cycle students have self-medicated, students who self-medicate because they do not have time to go to the doctor with 40%, being the group of analgesics with greater frequency with 41.92% where paracetamol predominates with 30.64% and the main cause headache with 31%. Conclusions: Education is one of the first measures that should be considered, in terms of the discipline that people must have when dealing with symptoms, especially nursing students, who, having the necessary knowledge about self-medication and its consequences, they tend to. It was possible to obtain a high percentage of 85% of students who self-medicate, the most accessible drugs are NSAIDs.