Perfil da prática de automedicação por estudante de medicina

Abstract

Self-medication, characterized by the administration of medication without professional guidance or with the dispensing of medical prescription, is a practice widely performed by the population, notably of high prevalence among medical students. Although in certain situations it is beneficial, taking medication without any professional guidance is an action that can lead to serious health risks, both individual and collective. Objective: To assess the prevalence and the factors involved in the practice of self-medication by medical students. Method: This is an analytical observational cross-sectional study on the epidemiological profile of self-medication in medical students, focusing on the the prevalence of the practice among this population. The study sample included 315 students. Data were collected through the application of an electronic questionnaire sent by instant messaging apps to medical students from a private college in the state of Minas Gerais.. Thedata obtained were tabulated and the analysis of the answers was carried out using the Minitab 18 program. For the association between categorical variables, Fisher's exact test and Pearson's chi-square test were used. Results: The prevalence of self-medication in the studied population was high (92.7%) in the 12-month retroactive period, and even those who did not practice at any time during this period reported practising self-medicated at some point in their lives. The medications most used by the participants were analgesics, followed by NSAIDs. Most participants (42%) answered that entering the medical course influenced them to intensify the practice, while 33% indicated that it did not influence them at all, 3% that it influenced them to start practicing, 20% that it influenced them to reduce their practice and 2% responded that influenced them not to practice. Conclusion: The identification of the prevalence of self-medication by medical students is an important marker to help appropriate interventionmeasures when necessary, so that students can minimize the inadequate practice of this habit by themselves and so that they can help future patients with the subject matter.