ABSTRACT
Objective: To assess the perceptions and practices of self-medication among healthcare students in MAHSA University, Malaysia. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 238 respondents were conveniently recruited by using a self-administered and pre-validated questionnaire. Results: Majority of the self-medicating participants were females (63.4%). Analgesics (64.8%) were the most commonly self-medicated drugs. Main cited reasons for self-medication were to relieve fever (85.5%) and cough/flu (83%). From the total sample, 81.1% of respondents were in favour of self-medication; whereas, 76.1% perceived that awareness and education regarding implications of self-medication can improve the rational use of self-medication. No statistically significant associations were found by Chi-square test between the socio-demographic variables and self-medication. Conclusion: Self-medication was a common practice among the students of MAHSA University. Healthcare education and public awareness may be helpful to enhance the responsible use of self-medication among students as well as general public.
