Prevalence and Practice of Self-medication among University Students in Pakistan through Online Resources

Background: Self-medication or self-care is regarded as an unhealthy practice. However, it is widely accepted and practiced in the low and middle-income countries (LMICs) due to scarcity of health resources. Objectives: To assess the prevalence and practice of self-medication among university students in Pakistan through online resources. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted between May 2017 and August 2017 by involving 991 university students. A questionnaire was administered to obtain data. Results: The majority 85.9% (852/991) of the respondents knew aboutonline medicines and their uses of self-medication. Overall, 68% (674/991) of them have to travel long-distances to access essential health services. Nearly half (41.7%) of the respondents procured drugs through the online sources, while only 15.6% of them obtained through pharmacies. Conclusions: The rampant irrational use of drugs without medical guidance could contribute to adverse consequences viz.; the emergence of multi-drug resistance, adverse drug reactions, drug interactions etc. Strict regulations must be enforced to limit public access to online-drugs by the law-enforcement agencies.