Risk Factors of Antibiotics Self-medication Practices among University Students in Cairo, Egypt

Nesreen Mohamed Kamal  Elden; Hebatallah A. Nasser; Aliaa Alli; Nayra Mahmoud; Mai Ahmed  Shawky; Abady Abo Elazayem Ahmed   Ibrahim; Abdelrahmn Karam   Fahmy

doi:10.3889/oamjms.2020.3323

Authors

Nesreen Mohamed Kamal Elden Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
Hebatallah A. Nasser Department of Microbiology and Public Health, Faculty of Pharmacy, Heliopolis University, Cairo, Egypt
Aliaa Alli Department of Microbiology and Public Health, Faculty of Pharmacy, Heliopolis University, Cairo, Egypt
Nayra Mahmoud German University in Cairo, New Cairo, Egypt
Mai Ahmed Shawky Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain Shams University
Abady Abo Elazayem Ahmed Ibrahim Faculty of Pharmacy, Heliopolis University, Cairo, Egypt
Abdelrahmn Karam Fahmy Faculty of Pharmacy, Heliopolis University, Cairo, Egypt

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3889/oamjms.2020.3323

Keywords:

Self-medication, Antibiotics, Medical students

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Self-medication is a practice with major global implications, especially with antibiotics intake. Self-medication among future health-care professionals could affect their way in prescribing medication in the future.

AIM: This study was conducted to estimate the magnitude and the determinants of antibiotics self-medication practices and to describe the pattern of antibiotics abuse among undergraduate university students.

METHODS: A cross-section study was conducted among 563 medical students from public and private universities in Cairo, Egypt, using a questionnaire.

RESULTS: About 77.7% of the students used antibiotics without prescriptions with no statistical differences by age, sex, residence, or type of universities. More than half of the students (51.7%) do not know the effect of antibiotics abuse on microbial resistance. Most self-treated antibiotics were used to manage gastroenteritis symptoms (70%), respiratory symptoms (63%), and dental infections (36%), other causes such as headache or prophylactic reasons (21%). About 91.7% of the self-medicated students reported access to antibiotics from the pharmacy without a prescription and 71% of them mentioned discontinuation of a course of antibiotics at least once during the last year. About 81% of the students who do not know the effect of antibiotic abuse are self-medicated versus 75% of their counterpart who know and this difference is statistically significant. The multivariate analysis identified the residence as an independent predictor of their knowledge (area of residence = 1.6, 95% confidence interval [1.1â€“2.3]).

CONCLUSION: The prevalence of self-medication with antibiotics among university students in Cairo is high. Our findings highlight the urgent need for tailored interventions to control this practice.

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