Objective: Self-treatment is an important aspect of self-care and one of the vital issues\nunder debate in health care. Self-medication patterns vary among different populations\nand are influenced by many factors. The objective was to investigate the nature\nof self-medication behavior among the general public in the UAE and to explore\npublic attitudes, beliefs, and level of knowledge concerning self-medication. Methods:\nA purposive sample of individuals involved in self-medication who belong to\ndifferent age, gender, income, education level and health-seeking behaviors. A qualitative\napproach through individual face-to-face interviews was utilized to investigate\nparticipants� behaviors and attitudes towards self-medication; factors influencing\ndecision to self medicate, sources of information on medications, types of conditions\nfor which self-medication is sought and types of medications used. Participant\nrecruitment continued until theme saturation using content analysis. Findings:\nThree themes emerged from the data: Reasons for self-medication such as costs associated\nwith visiting a doctor, convenience in visiting a pharmacy and perception of\nsimplicity of the condition; Sources of information: pharmacists as a main source in\naddition to medication leaflets, family role and previous use, and medicines and medicines�\nuse: medicines� use in chronic disease, use of antibiotics, use of herbals and\nsupplements and medicines� use in children. Conclusion: Findings from this study\nindicate that self-medication behaviors are common among the population due to\nseveral reasons. Inappropriate self-medication practices are evident and may compromise\npatient care outcomes. Pharmacists play a vital role in intervening to optimize\nthe use of medications and patient education regarding self-care.
Loading....