IMPACT OF CLINICAL PHARMACIST TO IDENTIFY RISK FACTORS OF SELF-MEDICATION PRACTICES AMONG ELDERLY IN BANGALORE- A SURVEY

Rowinea Fernandez*, Dr.Sushma Muchukota, Priyanka Dey, Karishma Praveen, Alkayum Ahmed, Rashi L, Bhoomika, Dr. Rinkumathappan

Gautham College of Pharmacy, Bangalore, Karnataka, India

ABSTRACT

Self-medication defined as the exploit of a item for consumption without proper therapeutic supervision and no prescription in order to indulgence a disease to promote health. Self-medication usage has been triggered by few criteria like economic, political, cultural factors and the practice is becoming a foremost health problem among public worldwide. The Main motto of the study was based on the Impact of clinical pharmacist to identify risk factors of self-medication practices among elderly. It is a community based, Prospective, cross-section and observational study. The purpose of our research was to examine risk factors of self-medication practices amongst elderly people. Various studies revealed that self-medication practices is common throughout the world. Prevalence of self-medication is 84.21% practices are also high in this study was comparable prevalence has been reported in studies conducted among Nepal 81.9%, South western Nigeria 91.4%. In the present study self-medication practices among elderly is about 10% but in other report is about 16.9%. The major objection related to self-medication practices was fever and headache (40%) , followed by cough(22.63%) , pain and chills(14.73%). Classes of medicines which are used recurrently for self-medication in the current study were Analgesics (25.26%), Antipyretics (19.47%), and Antibacterial (13.68%). The common reason for self-medication practices reported by our study respondents are previous experience, sufficient. The study concluded that majority of the study participants had self-medication (84.21%), the study found that the fever, headache, infection etc were the main ailments for the participants that took to self-medication the most recurrently used class of drugs were Analgesics (25.26%), Antipyretics (19.47%), and Antibacterial (13.68%).

Keywords:

Self-medication, Prospective, Cross-sectional, Analgesics, Antipyretics