A Cross-Sectional Study to Investigate the Prevalence of Self-Medication of Non-Opioid Analgesics Among Medical Students at Qassim University, Saudi Arabia

Figures & data

Table 1 Demographic Characteristics of the Participants with Respect to SM of NOA (N = 709)

Characteristics	No. (%)	Self-Medication		p-value*
		User No. (%)	Non-User No. (%)
Gender				0.001
Female	451 (63.6%)	417 (92.4%)	34 (7.6%)
Male	258 (36.4%)	218 (84.5%)	40 (15.5%)
Age group in years				0.000
18–20	163 (23%)	144 (88.3%)	18 (11.7%)
21–24	532 (75%)	478 (89.8%)	54 (10.2%)
Older than 24	14 (2%)	13 (92.9%)	1 (7.1%)
College				0.43
UCP	352 (49.6%)	318 (90.3%)	34 (9.7%)
UCM	357 (50.4)	317 (88.8%)	39 (11.2%)
Academic level				0.67
Preparatory year	96 (13.5%)	90 (93.7%)	6 (6.3.3%)
First year of medicine	71 (10%)	67 (94.4%)	4 (5.6%)
Second year	161 (22.7%)	137 (85.1%)	24 (14.9%)
Third year	142 (20%)	119 (83.8%)	23 (16.2%)
Fourth year	111 (15.7%)	99 (89.2%)	12 (10.8%)
Fifth year	92 (13%)	88 (95.7%)	4 (4.3%)
Internship year	36 (5.1%)	36 (100%)	0 (0.0%)
Total	709 (100%)	635 (89.6%)	74 (10.4%)

Notes: *Spearman correlation test, p < 0.05 was considered significant.

Table 2 Factors and Health Problems That Lead to SM of NOA

		No. (%)
Factors	Prior Recommendation by a Physician	121 (19.1%)
	Mild nature of illness	321 (50.36%)
	Advice from friend/family member	109 (17.2%)
	Lack of time for consultation	70 (11%)
	High cost of consultation	14 (2.2%)
Health problems	Headache/migraine	424 (66.8%)
	Cough/cold/fever	72 (11.3%)
	Abdominal pain	36 (5.7%)
	Sports injury	14 (2.2%)
	Muscle fatigue	9 (1.4%)
	Back pain	26 (4.1%)
	Menstruation pain	47 (7.4%)
	Others	7 (1.1%)
Total		635 (100%)

Table 3 Concepts Regarding SM of NOA

Concept	No.	%
I have all the knowledge about the drug I am taking	316	49.8
I also prescribe self-medication to others	47	7.4
I believe that the greater the pain, the more drugs should be taken	52	8.2
I prefer using a famous brand for the treatment	51	8
I prefer the oral route for drug administration instead of intravenous and topical treatments	65	10.2
It is necessary to consult a doctor before taking a new medicine	104	16.4
Total	635	100