Self-Medication among Patients Attending Kampala International University Teaching Hospital Out-Patient Department Ishaka-Bushenyi District, Western Uganda

Birungi Solomon

Faculty of Clinical Medicine and Dentistry, Kampala International University, Uganda

ABSTRACT

Self-medication use has led society to antibiotic resistance, a serious health problem worldwide. This study aimed to assess the prevalence, factors, common drugs used to treat the common symptoms, and sources of the drugs used in self-medication by patients attending Kampala International University Teaching Hospital in Ishaka, Bushenyi district in Western Uganda. The cross-sectional descriptive study method was employed using questionnaires distributed in different outpatient clinics at KIUTH. In total, 118 patients completed the questionnaire and were included in the study. The results revealed that more than half of the respondents, 98/118 (83.3%), had used over-the-counter drugs to treat self-diagnosed illnesses. Almost half of the respondents used antibiotics and analgesics either against viral (commonly cold) or mixed (bacterial and viral) infections. The respondents with lower educational qualifications (29.7%) and those from rural areas (32%) were significantly less involved in the self-medication practice, whereas respondents with high education (70.3%) and those from urban areas (58%) around Ishaka town were more involved with the use of over-the-counter drugs. Preferred drugs were Paracetamol (37%), followed by Amoxicillin (36%) in the penicillin class, used to treat respiratory and abdominal symptoms. Respondents carried out self-medication because they considered their symptoms minor (39%), wanted to reduce costs required to seek treatment in a hospital setting (17%), and their sources of drugs were majorly pharmacies (31.6%). The study concluded that the rate of self-medication incidence among patients in Ishaka is high and is a major public health problem, as it is associated with increased emergency antimicrobial resistance and adverse side effects. The recommendation is to increase public awareness about the dangers of self-medication through community outreaches by concerned organizations like the Uganda National Drug Authority.

Keywords: Self-medication, Antibiotics, Antimicrobial resistance, Over-the-counter drugs, Uganda

CITE AS: Birungi Solomon (2024). Self-Medication among Patients Attending Kampala International University Teaching Hospital Out-Patient Department Ishaka-Bushenyi District, Western Uganda. RESEARCH INVENTION JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC AND EXPERIMENTAL SCIENCES 3(2):18-  24.