IS THE PRACTICE OF SELF MEDICATION MORE PREVALENT AMONG HEALTH SCIENCES STUDENTS? ? A COMAPARATIVE QUESTIONNAIRE STUDY

Background : One of the most relentless problem in the society especially among the health care professionals in developing countries is self - medication. It is defined as obtaining or consuming one or more drugs without a physician’s advice either for diag nosis, prescription or survillence of treatment. The present study was done among students with different educational background to assess the percentage of youngsters who practice self - medication, their attitude and knowledge about the same. Method : A str uctured and validated questionnaire was distributed among 300 dental, engineering and paramedical students. Results : The results were alarming, 292 students out of 300 have taken self - medication, 97% were found to be used to self - medication among dental st udents, 93% were engineering students and 99% were paramedical students. 41.8% of students believed in self - knowledge. Conclusion : Educational interventions should be aimed to make the population aware of potential risks and dangers linked to self - medicat ion and strict laws to be enforced to prevent over counter drugs.