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 ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER Volume - 9 | Issue - 10 | October - 2020 | PRINT ISSN No. 2277 - 8179 | DOI : 10.36106/ijsr

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

PATTERN OF SELF-MEDICATION AMONG URBAN RESIDENTS DURING THE

COVID-19 LOCKDOWN

Physiology
Ayesha Javed Medical Student, Rajiv Gandhi Medical College, Kalwa, Thane-400 605, Maharashtra,
Hasan India.
Srabani Professor and Head, Physiology Department, Rajiv Gandhi Medical College, Kalwa,
Bhattacharya* Thane-400 605, Maharashtra, India. * Corresponding Author
Sundaram Professor and Head, Community Medicine Department, Rajiv Gandhi Medical College,
Kartikeyan Kalwa, Thane-400 605, Maharashtra, India.
ABSTRACT
This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in April-July 2020 during the lockdown due to the corona virus epidemic to determine the
pattern of self-medication. A pre-tested and pre-validated questionnaire was administered, using the chain sampling technique, via Google forms to
252 adult respondents (94 females: 37.30% and 158 males: 62.70%), who were residing in a metropolitan city in Western India. During the Covid-
19 lockdown, 63 (67.02%) females and 92 (58.23%) males reported having practiced self-medication, with no signicant gender difference
(Z=1.387; p=0.164). 24 (25.53%) of the female respondents self-medicated with anti-spasmodic medications during their menses. The most
common symptom for which 61 (64.89%) females and 73 (46.20%) males took self medication was headache – the gender difference was
signicant (Z=2.875; p=0.003). Previous visits to health personnel and previous prescriptions were the source of information for self-medication
for 56 (59.57%) females and 39 (24.68%) males, exhibiting highly signicant gender difference (Z=5.527; p<0.0001).
KEYWORDS
Covid-19, Lockdown, Pattern, Self- medication, Urban residents
INTRODUCTION services are not available till they are released from quarantine. [22]
Self-medication is the use of drugs to treat self-diagnosed disorders or Moreover, due to panic, people may fall purchase “medicines”
symptoms, or the intermittent or continued use of a prescribed drug for claiming benets against Covid-19 and may try interventions based on
chronic or recurrent disease or symptoms. [1] In other words, it refers information from unreliable sources and later suffer from adverse
to the use of drugs, herbs or home remedies on one's own initiative, or events. [23] It is reported that unproven information in the media has
on the advice of another person, without consulting a qualied doctor. caused an increase in unsafe self-medication habits of some over-the-
[2] counter medications. [24]

The common sources of information for self-medication include
friends, neighbours, family members, colleagues, pharmacists,
previously prescribed medications, or advertisements in the print and
electronic media. [3]
The drugs that are ofcially meant for self-medication are available
without medical prescription and are of conrmed efcacy and safety
and are called “over-the-counter” (OTC) drugs. However, their
improper use due to lack of knowledge of their side effects and
interactions could have serious implications, especially among
children and the elderly and in special physiological conditions like
pregnancy and lactation. [4] There is always a risk of interaction
between the ingredients of OTC drugs and prescription medicines, as
well as increased risk of aggravation of existing disease pathology. [5]
Some governments are increasingly encouraging self-care of minor
illnesses, including self-medication. Judicious and responsible use of
self-medication can facilitate reduction of the cost of treatment,
travelling time as well as doctor's consultation time. [6-8] The transfer
of prescription (Rx) medicines to non-prescription (or OTC)
medicines is known as the “Rx-to-OTC switch”. [9] After a sufcient
time has passed in the use of prescription medicines by a large number
of patients and large-scale experience and scientic information has
been gathered, a manufacturer may elect to submit an application to the
appropriate authority for the medicine to be given “OTC status” for use
in select conditions. [6]
The present study was conducted in a metropolitan city to determine
the pattern of self-medication during the Covid-19 lockdown.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in April-July
2020 during the lockdown due to the corona virus epidemic. A pre-
tested and pre-validated questionnaire was administered, using the
chain sampling technique, via Google forms to adults of either gender,
who were residing in a metropolitan city in Western India. Informed
consent was taken on the Google forms. The data were adapted to
Microsoft Excel spreadsheet (Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA,
USA) and analyzed using SPSS statistical software Windows Version
25.0 (IBM Corporation, Armonk, NY, USA). For discrete data, the
percentage of responses and the standard error of difference between
two sample proportions were calculated. For continuous data, the
standard error of difference between two means was calculated. 95%
Condence interval (CI) was stated as: [Mean-(1.96)*Standard Error)]
- [Mean+(1.96)* Standard Error)]. The statistical signicance was
determined at p<0.05.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
In all, there were 252 respondents (94 females: 37.30% and 158 males:
62.70%). During the Covid-19 lockdown, 63 (67.02%) females and 92
(58.23%) males reported having practiced self-medication, with no
signicant gender difference (Z=1.387; p=0.164). The age distribution
of respondents is depicted in Fig-1.

Self-medication has been researched and reviewed. [10] Previous

studies have reported self-medication from Europe, [11], Russia, [12]
the United States (43%), [13] amongst Finnish immigrants living in
Spain (28%), [14] Lithuania (39.9%), [15] Malta (19.2%), [16] and
Greece (74.6%). [17] Self-medication is also highly prevalent in
developing countries, including Sudan (48%), [18] Turkey (45.8%),
[19] Jordan (40.7%), [20, 21]

Self-medication is of concern during the Covid-19 lockdown because

– (i) people avoid visiting a health care facility due to fear of getting
infected; (ii) restrictions have been enforced on travel; (iii) private
practitioners have reduced their practice in some localities; (iv) Some
health care personnel have been quarantined and therefore their Fig-1: Age distribution of respondents
International Journal of Scientific Research 49
Volume - 9 | Issue - 10 | October - 2020 PRINT ISSN No. 2277 - 8179 | DOI : 10.36106/ijsr

56 (59.57%) females and 107 (67.72%) males were postgraduates and 15. Berzanskyte, A., Valinteliene, R., Haaijer-Ruskamp, F. M., Gurevicius, R., & Grigoryan,
L. (2006), “Self-Medication with antibiotics in Lithuania”. Int J Occup Med Environ
the gender difference in educational status of respondents was not Health, 19(4), 246-253.
signicant (Z=1.308; p=0.190). The gender difference in marital status 16. Borg, M. A., & Scicluna, E. A . (2002), “Over-the-counter acquisition of antibiotics in
was signicant (Z=2.904; p=0.003), with 79 (84.04%) females and the Maltese general population”. Int J Antimicrob Agents, 20(4), 253-257.
17. Mitsi, G., Jelastopulub, E., Basiarisa, H., Skoutelisa, A., & Gogos, G. (2005), “Patterns
107 (67.72%) males reporting “married” status. 24 (25.53%) of the of antibiotic use among adults and parents in the community: A questionnaire-based
female respondents self-medicated with anti-spasmodic medications survey in a Greek urban population”. Int J Antimicrob Agents, 25(5), 439-443.
during their menses. The most common symptom for which 61 18. Awad, A., Eltayeb, I., Matowe, L., & Thalib, L. (2005), “Self-medication with
(64.89%) females and 73 (46.20%) males took self medication was antibiotics and antimalarials in the community of Khartoum State, Sudan”. J Pharm
Pharm Sci, 8(2), 326-331.
headache – the gender difference was signicant (Z=2.875; p=0.003). 19. Buke, A. C. (2003), “Rational antibiotic use and academic staff”. Int J Antimicrobial
There was signicant gender difference in self-medication with Agents, 21(1), 63-66
calcium (Z=2.097; p=0.035) and vitamin supplements (Z=3.995; 20. Sawair, F. A., Baqain, Z. H., Abu Karaky, A., & Abu Eid, R., (2009), “Assessment of Self-
Medication of Antibiotics in a Jordanian Population”. Med Princ Pract, 18(1), 21-25.
p=0.0006). The gender differences in patterns of self-medication are 21. Al-Azzam, S. I., Al-Husein, B. A., Alzoubi, F., Masadeh, M. M., & Al-Horani, M. A.
depicted in Table-1. (2007), “Self-medication with antibiotics in Jordanian population”. Int J Occup Med
Environ Health, 20(4), 373-380.
22. Patil, A. D., Sharma, H., & Tetarbe, T. (2020), “COVID-19 and concerns related to self-
Table-1: Gender differences in patterns of self-medication medication”. Int J Basic Clin Pharmacol, 9(9), 1475-1476.
23. Newmann, N. R., Chai, P. R., Wood, D. M., Greller, H. A., & Mycyk, M. B. (2020),
Parameter Females Males Z 'p' “Medical toxicology and COVID-19: Our role in a pandemic”. J Med Toxicol, 16(3),
(n=94) (n=158) value value 245-247.
24. Kretchy, I. A., Asiedu-Dansu, M., & Kretchy, J. P. (2020), “Medication management and
Self-medication during 63 92 1.387 0.164 adherence during the COVID-19 pandemic: Perspectives and experiences from low-and
lockdown (67.02%) (58.23%) middle-income countries”. doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2020.04.007 Res Social Adm
Pharm, [Epub ahead of print]
Purchase from shop 92 153 0.484 0.631 25. Balamurugan, E., & Ganesh, K. (2011), “Prevalence and Pattern of Self Medication use
(97.87%) (96.84%) in coastal regions of South India”. BJMP, 4(3), a428.
Self-medication with non- 28 33 1.595 0.104 26. Rajendran, A., Kulirankal, K. G., Rakesh, P. S., & George, S. (2019), “Prevalence and
pattern of antibiotic self-medication practice in an urban population of Kerala, India: A
allopathic medicines (29.79%) (20.89%) cross-sectional study”. Indian J Community Med, 44 (Suppl S1), 42-45.
Aware of risks of self- 77 117 1.434 0.152
medication (81.91%) (74.05%)
Require medication at odd 56 33 6.214 <0.0001
hours (59.57%) (20.89%) *
Previous visits to health 56 39 5.527 <0.0001
personnel as source of (59.57%) (24.68%) *
information of medications
In the present study, the previous visits to health care personnel were
the source of information for self-medication for 56 (59.57%) females
and 39 (24.68%) males with highly signicant gender difference
(Z=5.527; p<0.0001). A study from Puducherry [25] reported that the
major source of information for self-medication were - pharmacists
(57.3%), prescription of previous illness (21.5%), friends (12.5%),
television (5.5%) and books (3%). A community-based study on 755
urban inhabitants in Ernakulam district, Kerala state, revealed that the
choice of drug for self-medication was based on doctor's previous
prescription (36%), leftovers of previous prescription (40%),
respondent's own experience (21%) and opinion of family members
(18%). [26]

CONCLUSION
The pattern of self-medication reveals the degree of regulatory
enforcement of pharmacy services in a region. If the Covid-19
pandemic is prolonged, it will affect the self-medication patterns of the
public. Behaviour surveillance on self-medication would be required
to protect the population from irrational use of medications, their
adverse effects and potential shortages due to hoarding and overuse
during the Covid-19 pandemic.

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