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Observational Study
. 2020 Sep 14:37:51.
doi: 10.11604/pamj.2020.37.51.24098. eCollection 2020.

Current self-medication practices in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: an observational study

Sameer Al-Ghamdi  1 , Tariq Majed Alfauri  2 , Muath Abdullah Alharbi  3 , Mustafa Mohammed Alsaihati  3 , Muhammad Makki Alshaykh  3 , Almuhanad Abdullah Alharbi  3 , Naif Soud Aljaizani  3 , Ibrahim Aidh Allehiby  3 , Matar Abdullah Alzahrani  4 , Abdulsalam Saud Alharbi  5
Affiliations
Observational Study

Current self-medication practices in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: an observational study

Sameer Al-Ghamdi et al. Pan Afr Med J. .

Abstract

Introduction: medication without prescription is a growing public health concern or phenomenon worldwide. This cross-sectional study was designed to study the trends of self-medication among Saudi population.

Methods: a prospective, cross-sectional study including 2004 participants was carried out from different family clinics across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The clinicians used a self-designed questionnaire to collect the data, using stringent inclusion criteria and exclusion criteria. The questionnaire recorded participants' demographics and included several closed-ended and open-ended questions with options to choose from. The results were gathered, inserted into an excel spreadsheet and analyzed using SPSS version 23. The analyzed information was presented as frequencies and percentages.

Results: our research showed that 924 respondents (46.1%) found it difficult to reach a hospital. Another 45.2% considered the inefficiency of health centers in providing necessary care as the main reason for self-medication. Other causes of self-medication included a lack of medical insurance, insurance not covering the costs for the drugs, and symptoms of the disease being mild enough for not going to the hospital. Analgesics were the most commonly self-administered drugs (84.58%), followed by antipyretics (71.26%), cough syrups (46.86%), eye drops (35.98%), antibiotics (35.28%), flu medication (32.83%), heartburn medication (23.15%), medicines for joint pain (15.02%), and so on.

Conclusion: the majority of Saudi Arabians engage in self-medication and rely on advice from friends and family most of the time, instead of consulting a health professional.

Keywords: OTC drugs; Saudi Arabia; Self-medication; nonprescription drugs; over-the-counter drugs.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
distribution of practices about medication without prescription from a healthcare professional
Figure 2
Figure 2
reasons for using medications without prescription
Figure 3
Figure 3
distribution of the type of medication used without prescription from a healthcare professional
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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