112
Views
0
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Research Article

The Parental Perceptions and Practices Regarding Self-medication among Their Children in Southern Punjab, Pakistan

, , , , , & show all
Received 01 Dec 2022, Accepted 15 May 2023, Published online: 19 Jun 2023
 

ABSTRACT

Background

Self-medication practices (SMP) are a major public health concern that lead to the irrational use of drugs eventually resulting in adverse drug events. The present study aimed to assess the parental perceptions and practices regarding the self-medication of their children.

Methods

A validated questionnaire (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.802) was utilized in this cross-sectional study to analyze parental SMP in their children and associated factors among the residents of Southern Punjab, Pakistan.

Results

Out of 420 study participants, 391 met the eligibility criteria and were included in the final analysis. Among them, a majority (90.5%) of respondents self-medicate their children frequently with antipyretic (86.7%), anti-emetics (54.2%), analgesics (55.1%), and antibiotics (52.0%) for illnesses like fever (95.5%), cough (89.5%), vomiting (69.2%), flu (57.3%), and diarrhea (52.3%). The parental age (p < 0.001), number of children (p = 0.021), level of education (p < 0.001), and profession (p < 0.001) were significantly associated with SMP.

Conclusion

The current study revealed a high prevalence of parental SMP among their children in Southern Punjab, even with prescription-only medication like antibiotics. Health regulatory agencies in Pakistan should take aggressive measures to address the increasing self-medication trend in children by initiating parental educational programs.

Acknowledgements

The authors will like to acknowledge the cooperation and support of Al-Shifa Children's Hospital, Multan, and District Headquarter Hospital Muzaffargarh for data collection at their premises.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Authors contributions

MAK, AM, HB, and MFR made substantial contributions to conception and design. MSA, MAK, AM, II, and IA performed data analysis and acquisition of data. MFR, MAK, and MSA took part in the interpretation of data. All the authors were involved in the writing of the initial draft and the approval of the final version of the manuscript. All authors gave final approval of the version to be published; and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Muhammad Ali Khalil

Muhammad Ali Khalil completed his MPhil in Pharmacy Practice at Department of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan in 2020. He is currently working as a Provincial Drug Inspector in Primary & Secondary Health Care Department, Punjab Pakistan. His research interest includes safe and effective use of drugs and prevention of ADRs.

Muhammad Subhan Arshad

Muhammad Subhan Arshad is a lecturer for the subject of Clinical Pharmacy at Department of Pharmacy, Southern Punjab Institute of Health Sciences, Multan affiliated with Bahauddin Zakariya University (BZU), Multan. He completed his MPhil in Pharmacy Practice at Department of Pharmacy Practice, BZU, Multan in 2020. He is an active researcher and working in the subject area of Pharmacy Practice and Clinical Pharmacy.

Abdul Majeed

Abdul Majeed is a lecturer at Faculty of Pharmacy, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan. He has Ph.D. in Pharmacy and he has recently done Post-Doctorate from Kings College London, UK. He is a Higher Education Commission, Pakistan approved supervisor for M.Phil. and Ph.D.

Imran Imran

Imran Imran is Chairman of Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan. His research interests are Behavior, Neuropharmacology, Epilepsy, and Status Epilepticus.

Humna Binish

Humna Binish is a registered Pharmacist in Pakistan. She completed her MPhil in Pharmacy Practice at Department of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan in 2020. She is registered Pharmacist.

Imran Ahmad

Imran Ahmad is an Assistant Professor Department of Pharmacy, Southern Punjab Institute of Health Sciences, Multan. He has Ph.D. in Pharmacy from Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan. He also worked worked as Community Pharmacist in UAE.

Muhammad Fawad Rasool

Muhammad Fawad Rasool is Chairman of Department of Pharmacy Practice, faculty of Pharmacy, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan. He has Ph.D. In Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics from Germany. He is Professional Member of American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP), International Society of Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR), and American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET). He has research interests in Clinical Pharmacokinetics, Safe and effective administration of drugs, and PBPK. He has 120+ Publications in field of Pharmacy Practice and Clinical Pharmacy.

Log in via your institution

Log in to Taylor & Francis Online

PDF download + Online access

  • 48 hours access to article PDF & online version
  • Article PDF can be downloaded
  • Article PDF can be printed
USD 53.00 Add to cart

Issue Purchase

  • 30 days online access to complete issue
  • Article PDFs can be downloaded
  • Article PDFs can be printed
USD 244.00 Add to cart

* Local tax will be added as applicable

Related Research

People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read.

Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine.

Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.
Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab.