Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Regarding Self-Medication Among Pharmacy, Nursing, and Medical Students: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Background: Self-medication is common among health-science students, who may feel confident selecting medicines because of their developing pharmacological knowledge. However, unsupervised use of prescription-only medicines, especially antibiotics, can cause harm. Objective: To compare knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding self-medication among undergraduate MBBS, pharmacy, and nursing students and describe their sources of medication information. Methods: This cross-sectional, questionnaire-based survey analysed 236 of 295 distributed questionnaires: 68 MBBS, 122 pharmacy, and 46 nursing students. The questionnaire assessed demographics, knowledge using eight scored items (range 0–8),  attitudes using eight three-point Likert items, and self-medication practices over the preceding six months. Categorical variables were compared using chi-square tests; knowledge scores were compared using the Kruskal–Wallis test, with Bonferroni-adjusted pairwise Mann–Whitney U tests. Results: Overall, 161/236 students (68.2%) reported self-medication in the preceding six months: 80.9% of MBBS, 67.4% of nursing, and 61.5% of pharmacy students (χ²=7.60, df=2, p=0.022). Knowledge scores were similar across groups (MBBS 6.66±1.86; pharmacy 6.30±1.67; nursing 6.20±1.76; p=0.080). Pharmacy students more often agreed that self-medication was part of self-care (57.4% vs 32.4% of MBBS students; p=0.004) and acceptable for minor illness (76.2% vs 57.4%; p=0.041). Nursing students most often reported possible adverse effects (32.6%; p=0.004). Antibiotic self-medication was reported by 85/236 students (36.0%); differences between programmes were not statistically significant (p=0.140). Conclusion: Self-medication was common despite broadly similar knowledge scores. The findings support discipline-sensitive education on antibiotic stewardship, adverse drug reaction recognition, and responsible over-the-counter use. Because the study was cross-sectional, self-reported, and unadjusted for demographic differences between groups, the findings should be interpreted as associations rather than causal effects.