A study on knowledge, attitude and practice of over the counter drugs among 3rd year medical students of a teaching hospital in Dakshina Kannada, South India

Introduction: Over the Counter (OTC) drugs are medicines, available without a prescription, and hence also referred to as ‘nonprescription drugs'. These drugs include tonics, iron preparations, vitamin medications, analgesics, NSAIDS, cough syrups, dermatological products, drugs for pyrexia, laxatives etc. Usage of OTC drugs can lead to unwanted drug interactions, misuse / abuse of drugs and ADRs. So it is important to assess people's knowledge and understanding about OTC drugs. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted during October 2017 with a self-structured and pre-validated questionnaire. Study group consisted of ninety 3rd year medical students who have completed the Pharmacology course. Data were analyzed using descriptive analyses. Results: In this study, it was observed that 94.5% of the students were aware of OTC drugs. Among 90 students, 87 students ((96.7%) have used OTC drugs at least once. Fever (43.3%) followed by headache (38.9%) were the most common illnesses for which OTC drugs used. Difficulty in consulting doctor and easy availability of drugs were some of the reasons for using OTC drugs. Medical books and advertisements were the most common source of information used to know about OTC drugs. Most number of students (76.7%) were aware of toxicities and interactions of drugs which could be seen because of irrational use of OTC medications. Conclusion: This study shows that majority of the students were aware of OTC drugs and used them regularly. Fever, headache was the most common illness for seeking medication. Easy availability, difficulty in consulting doctor were some of the reasons for using OTC drugs. Majority of the students used medical text books and advertisements as the source of information to know about OTC drugs. There is also need to create awareness and educate students regarding advantages and disadvantages of using OTC drugs by the teaching faculties in the institutions.