Antibiotic Self-Medication among Non-Medical University Students in Punjab, Pakistan: A Cross-Sectional Survey

doi:10.3390/ijerph14101152

. 2017 Sep 29;14(10):1152.

doi: 10.3390/ijerph14101152.

Antibiotic Self-Medication among Non-Medical University Students in Punjab, Pakistan: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Ali Hassan Gillani^{1

2

3

4}, Wenjing Ji^{5

6

7

8}, Waqar Hussain⁹, Ali Imran¹⁰, Jie Chang^{11

12

13

14}, Caijun Yang^{15

16

17

18}, Yu Fang^{19

20

21

22}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pharmacy Administration and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China. hassangillaniali@yahoo.com.
² Center for Drug Safety and Policy Research, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China. hassangillaniali@yahoo.com.
³ The Global Health Institute, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China. hassangillaniali@yahoo.com.
⁴ Shaanxi Centre for Health Reform and Development Research, Xi'an 710061, China. hassangillaniali@yahoo.com.
⁵ Department of Pharmacy Administration and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China. yfyx_8312@163.com.
⁶ Center for Drug Safety and Policy Research, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China. yfyx_8312@163.com.
⁷ The Global Health Institute, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China. yfyx_8312@163.com.
⁸ Shaanxi Centre for Health Reform and Development Research, Xi'an 710061, China. yfyx_8312@163.com.
⁹ Faculty of Pharmacy, Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan, Multan 66000, Pakistan. dr.waqarwarraich@gmail.com.
¹⁰ Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Lahore, Lahore 54000, Pakistan. aliimran1232002@gmail.com.
¹¹ Department of Pharmacy Administration and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China. jiechang@mail.xjtu.edu.cn.
¹² Center for Drug Safety and Policy Research, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China. jiechang@mail.xjtu.edu.cn.
¹³ The Global Health Institute, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China. jiechang@mail.xjtu.edu.cn.
¹⁴ Shaanxi Centre for Health Reform and Development Research, Xi'an 710061, China. jiechang@mail.xjtu.edu.cn.
¹⁵ Department of Pharmacy Administration and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China. yangcj@mail.xjtu.edu.cn.
¹⁶ Center for Drug Safety and Policy Research, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China. yangcj@mail.xjtu.edu.cn.
¹⁷ The Global Health Institute, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China. yangcj@mail.xjtu.edu.cn.
¹⁸ Shaanxi Centre for Health Reform and Development Research, Xi'an 710061, China. yangcj@mail.xjtu.edu.cn.
¹⁹ Department of Pharmacy Administration and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China. yufang@mail.xjtu.edu.cn.
²⁰ Center for Drug Safety and Policy Research, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China. yufang@mail.xjtu.edu.cn.
²¹ The Global Health Institute, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China. yufang@mail.xjtu.edu.cn.
²² Shaanxi Centre for Health Reform and Development Research, Xi'an 710061, China. yufang@mail.xjtu.edu.cn.

PMID: 28961191
PMCID: PMC5664653
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph14101152

Antibiotic Self-Medication among Non-Medical University Students in Punjab, Pakistan: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Ali Hassan Gillani et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2017.

. 2017 Sep 29;14(10):1152.

doi: 10.3390/ijerph14101152.

Authors

Ali Hassan Gillani^{1

2

3

4}, Wenjing Ji^{5

6

7

8}, Waqar Hussain⁹, Ali Imran¹⁰, Jie Chang^{11

12

13

14}, Caijun Yang^{15

16

17

18}, Yu Fang^{19

20

21

22}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pharmacy Administration and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China. hassangillaniali@yahoo.com.
² Center for Drug Safety and Policy Research, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China. hassangillaniali@yahoo.com.
³ The Global Health Institute, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China. hassangillaniali@yahoo.com.
⁴ Shaanxi Centre for Health Reform and Development Research, Xi'an 710061, China. hassangillaniali@yahoo.com.
⁵ Department of Pharmacy Administration and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China. yfyx_8312@163.com.
⁶ Center for Drug Safety and Policy Research, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China. yfyx_8312@163.com.
⁷ The Global Health Institute, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China. yfyx_8312@163.com.
⁸ Shaanxi Centre for Health Reform and Development Research, Xi'an 710061, China. yfyx_8312@163.com.
⁹ Faculty of Pharmacy, Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan, Multan 66000, Pakistan. dr.waqarwarraich@gmail.com.
¹⁰ Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Lahore, Lahore 54000, Pakistan. aliimran1232002@gmail.com.
¹¹ Department of Pharmacy Administration and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China. jiechang@mail.xjtu.edu.cn.
¹² Center for Drug Safety and Policy Research, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China. jiechang@mail.xjtu.edu.cn.
¹³ The Global Health Institute, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China. jiechang@mail.xjtu.edu.cn.
¹⁴ Shaanxi Centre for Health Reform and Development Research, Xi'an 710061, China. jiechang@mail.xjtu.edu.cn.
¹⁵ Department of Pharmacy Administration and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China. yangcj@mail.xjtu.edu.cn.
¹⁶ Center for Drug Safety and Policy Research, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China. yangcj@mail.xjtu.edu.cn.
¹⁷ The Global Health Institute, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China. yangcj@mail.xjtu.edu.cn.
¹⁸ Shaanxi Centre for Health Reform and Development Research, Xi'an 710061, China. yangcj@mail.xjtu.edu.cn.
¹⁹ Department of Pharmacy Administration and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China. yufang@mail.xjtu.edu.cn.
²⁰ Center for Drug Safety and Policy Research, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China. yufang@mail.xjtu.edu.cn.
²¹ The Global Health Institute, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China. yufang@mail.xjtu.edu.cn.
²² Shaanxi Centre for Health Reform and Development Research, Xi'an 710061, China. yufang@mail.xjtu.edu.cn.

PMID: 28961191
PMCID: PMC5664653
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph14101152

Abstract

Background: Antibiotic resistance is a global threat. Scarce knowledge about safe and appropriate antibiotic use is coupled with frequent self-administration, e.g., in China. This repeated self-medication poses potential risk in terms of antibiotic resistance. Low-resource countries are facing an elevated burden of antibiotic self-medication as compared to developed ones. Thus, this study focused on evaluating the pervasiveness of antibiotic self-medication in 3 universities of Southern Punjab, Pakistan. Methods: We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional survey in three government sector universities of Southern Punjab, Pakistan. The study was carried out with self-administered paper-based questionnaires. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 18.0 (IBM, Chicago, IL, USA). Results: Seven hundred twenty-seven students out of 750 (response rate 97%) with a mean age ± SD of 23.0 ± 3.4 years agreed to participate in the study. The proportion of females was slightly greater (52%) compared with males (48%), and almost one-third of the respondents (36%) were in their 2nd year of university. Out of the total, 58.3% practiced self-medication in the preceding six months, and 326 (45%) confirmed the use of antibiotics. Metronidazole was the most frequently self-medicated antibiotic (48%). Out of the total, 72% demonstrated awareness regarding the side effects of antibiotics. Diarrhea was the well-known adverse effect (38%). Forty-three percent affirmed having antibiotic resistance knowledge, and 30% knew that the irregular use of antibiotics would lead to increased antibiotic resistance. Conclusion: Despite having ample awareness of the adverse antibiotic reactions, self-medication among the university students was high and antibiotic resistance was a fairly unknown term.

Keywords: antibiotics; resistance; self-medication; side effect.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors disclose no conflict of interests.

Figures

**Figure 1**
Factors leading to the self-medication (SM) of antibiotics in non-medical students from universities.

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References

1. Kayalvizhi S., Senapathi R. Evaluation of the perception, attitude and practice of self-medication among business students in 3 select cities, south India. IJEIMS. 2010;1:40–44.
1. Kiyingi K.S., Lauwo J.A. Drugs in the home: Danger and waste. World Health Forum. 1992;14:381–384. - PubMed
1. Hernandez-Juyol M., Job-Quesada J.R. Dentistry and self-medication: A current challenge. Med. Oral Organo Of. Soc. Esp. Med. Oral Acad. Iberoam. Patol. Med. Bucal. 2001;7:344–347. - PubMed
1. World Health Organization . The Role of the Pharmacist in Self-Care and Self-Medication: Report of the 4th WHO Consultative Group on the Role of the Pharmacist, The Hague, The Netherlands, 26–28 August 1998. World Health Organization; Geneva, Switzerland: 1998.
1. Chughtai S., Khan M.A., ul Haq M.Z., Shahzad A., Hussain F., Nazar F., Chughtai M.A. Self-Medication amongst the university students of Multan, Pakistan-A questionnaire based survey. Pak. J. Pharm. Res. 2016;2:142–145. doi: 10.22200/pjpr.20162142-145. - DOI

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[1] Kayalvizhi S., Senapathi R. Evaluation of the perception, attitude and practice of self-medication among business students in 3 select cities, south India. IJEIMS. 2010;1:40–44.

[2] Kayalvizhi S., Senapathi R. Evaluation of the perception, attitude and practice of self-medication among business students in 3 select cities, south India. IJEIMS. 2010;1:40–44.

[3] Kiyingi K.S., Lauwo J.A. Drugs in the home: Danger and waste. World Health Forum. 1992;14:381–384. - PubMed

[4] Kiyingi K.S., Lauwo J.A. Drugs in the home: Danger and waste. World Health Forum. 1992;14:381–384. - PubMed

[5] Hernandez-Juyol M., Job-Quesada J.R. Dentistry and self-medication: A current challenge. Med. Oral Organo Of. Soc. Esp. Med. Oral Acad. Iberoam. Patol. Med. Bucal. 2001;7:344–347. - PubMed

[6] Hernandez-Juyol M., Job-Quesada J.R. Dentistry and self-medication: A current challenge. Med. Oral Organo Of. Soc. Esp. Med. Oral Acad. Iberoam. Patol. Med. Bucal. 2001;7:344–347. - PubMed

[7] World Health Organization . The Role of the Pharmacist in Self-Care and Self-Medication: Report of the 4th WHO Consultative Group on the Role of the Pharmacist, The Hague, The Netherlands, 26–28 August 1998. World Health Organization; Geneva, Switzerland: 1998.

[8] World Health Organization . The Role of the Pharmacist in Self-Care and Self-Medication: Report of the 4th WHO Consultative Group on the Role of the Pharmacist, The Hague, The Netherlands, 26–28 August 1998. World Health Organization; Geneva, Switzerland: 1998.

[9] Chughtai S., Khan M.A., ul Haq M.Z., Shahzad A., Hussain F., Nazar F., Chughtai M.A. Self-Medication amongst the university students of Multan, Pakistan-A questionnaire based survey. Pak. J. Pharm. Res. 2016;2:142–145. doi: 10.22200/pjpr.20162142-145. - DOI

[10] Chughtai S., Khan M.A., ul Haq M.Z., Shahzad A., Hussain F., Nazar F., Chughtai M.A. Self-Medication amongst the university students of Multan, Pakistan-A questionnaire based survey. Pak. J. Pharm. Res. 2016;2:142–145. doi: 10.22200/pjpr.20162142-145. - DOI

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Antibiotic Self-Medication among Non-Medical University Students in Punjab, Pakistan: A Cross-Sectional Survey

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Antibiotic Self-Medication among Non-Medical University Students in Punjab, Pakistan: A Cross-Sectional Survey

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Conflict of interest statement

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