Prevalence Of Self Medication In An Urban Slum Area In Maharashtra

Background: Self medication is defined as medication taken on the patient's own initiative or on the advice of pharmacist or any other lay person. It is one of the leading causes for the ever threatening drug resistance for various antimicrobials. Objective: To assess the prevalence of self medication in an urban slum in western Maharashtra. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted among all the families registered under the urban health training centre. Data was collected from the head of the families using a pretested modified questionnaire. It included the prevalence, source and reasons for the self medication. Percentages were calculated. Consent was obtained. Results and Discussion: Majority of the families (68%) in this study practiced self medication like in studies conducted by Toan et al in Vietnam and Durgawale PM in Maharashtra. All the families approached a nearby medical shop for the drugs. In the study area 58.8% reported the reason for self medication that the disease was not serious and that there was lack of time to go to a hospital (41.2%). Conclusion: The prevalence of self medication is very high in the community. So immediate steps should be taken to decrease the easy availability of drugs and health education should be conducted to create awareness regarding the consequences of self medication, and reduce the danger of drug resistance.