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Cited by 87Antibiotic Use and ResistancePharmacy and Medical PracticesOpioid Use Disorder Treatment

Self-medication practice with analgesics (NSAIDs and acetaminophen), and antibiotics among nursing undergraduates in University College Farasan Campus, Jazan University, KSA

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Faqihi, A.H.M.A., Sayed, S.F.·2021·Annales Pharmaceutiques Françaises
DOI 10.1016/j.pharma.2020.10.012PMC PMC7577276
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Abstract

Objective Self-medication practices are widely practiced globally as major form of self-care for pain management. Unfortunately, with COVID-19 pandemic, prescription only drugs are now increasingly being self-prescribed. Present study was therefore, conducted to generate data on self-medication practice with analgesics using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and acetaminophen, and the antibiotics among nursing students of University College Farasan Campus. Materials and methods A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 177 study participants (20±3 years) between December 2019 to February 2020 using questionnaire. Data analyses were done using origin software (6.1, Illinois, USA). Significance was considered at P<0.05. Study was conducted in Department of Nursing, University College Farasan Province, a premier educational institute of Farasan Island affiliated to Jazan university, KSA. Results Self-medication practices were high among nursing students (n=154 participants, 87%). Acetaminophen was highest used drug for analgesic purposes without prescriptions (n=101 participants, 57%). Among NSAIDs, Ibuprofen was most preferred for various analgesic purposes (n=35 participants, 20%) followed by diclofenac (n=9 participants, 5%) and meloxicam (n=5 participants, 3%). Azithromycine was the only antibiotic used by participants (n=4 participant, 2%). Most common causes of self-medication were headache (45%), menstrual pain (23%) and fever (14%). Main reason for self-medications was lack of time to consult doctor (68%). Furthermore, self-medication was significantly associated with study year (P<0.003). Conclusion Results give rise to concern for general well-being of future nursing workforce. There is need to implement educational actions and awareness programmes to limit self-medication practices among educated youth of this beautiful Island.

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  • The drug classes most commonly self-medicated in India align with global patterns and support findings from preceding studies.

    “aligning with global patterns and supporting findings from various preceding studies.2,34, 35, 36”

    From Prevalence and patterns of self-medication practices in India: A systematic review and meta-analysis (2025) · cites this paper as [34]

    The Introduction says NSAIDs and acetaminophen are the most frequently used drug groups for self-medication, and the Results report that acetaminophen was most common among the nursing undergraduates studied in Saudi Arabia. This supports the claimed alignment with preceding findings about analgesics, but the paper does not establish which drug classes are most commonly self-medicated in India or compare Indian findings with global patterns. (LLM, conf=0.84)

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Faqihi, A. H. M. A., & Sayed, S. F.
Affiliations
Jazan University (SA)
Corresponding author
Sayed, S.F.
ORCID
Sayed, S.F.
Venue
Annales Pharmaceutiques Françaises
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2021-05
Volume
79
Issue
3
Pages
275-285
ISSN
0003-4509 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.pharma.2020.10.012
PMC
PMC7577276
OpenAlex
W3093654999
Cited by
87
References
1
Citations by year
2026: 9 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 20 · 2022: 24 · 2021: 6
FWCI
7.44
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Annales Pharmaceutiques Françaises (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
Jazan University
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology › Antibiotic Use and Resistance
  • Life Sciences › Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics › Pharmacology › Pharmacy and Medical Practices
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Opioid Use Disorder Treatment
Keywords
self-medication, analgesics, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, paracetamol, ibuprofen, diclofenac, meloxicam, antibiotics, azithromycin, nursing students, pain management, headache, dysmenorrhea, fever, Farasan Islands
MeSH terms
Acetaminophen, COVID-19, Adolescent, Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal, Anti-Bacterial Agents, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Humans, Male, Surveys and Questionnaires, Saudi Arabia, Self Medication, Students, Nursing, Universities, Analgesics, Non-Narcotic, Prescription Drugs, Young Adult, Pandemics

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