Volume 27, Issue 132, February 2023

Self-medication for acne among medical students on different academic levels in Riyadh, KSA 2022-2023

Sami Fathi Abdullah¹, Rasheed AM², Majed Marshad Alanazi^3♦, Yazan Jaber², Abdulrazaq Mohammed Alshammari³, Khalid Issam Alhomsi³

¹Consultant of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, Almaarefa University, Riyadh, KSA
²Lecturer of Human Physiology, Department of Basic Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, Almaarefa University, Riyadh, KSA
³Medical Intern, Faculty of Medicine, Almaarefa University, Riyadh, KSA

^♦Corresponding author
Medical Intern, Faculty of Medicine, Almaarefa University, Riyadh, KSA

ABSTRACT

The choice and application of medications by individuals to treat diseases or symptoms that they have recognized or diagnosed for themselves are selfmedication. Due to the nature of medical education about acne treatment and the easy availability of acne medication, medical students are the most variable for self-medication. Objectives: Our study aims to demonstrate selfmedication for acne among medical students on different academic level. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among medical students at Al-Maarefa University, Riyadh Saudi Arabia. After obtaining permission from the college authority, participants were given revalidated questionnaires about self-medication knowledge, attitude and practice and were distributed to 300 medical students. The Chi-square test and one-way analysis of variance were used to evaluate the data. Result: The study included 301 medical students who completed the study questionnaire in which majority of the participants in the survey were between the ages of 21-23 (64.1%). 62.5% of participants were in pre-clinical studies. According to the survey data, most participants (62.8%) reported acne. In terms of self-medication, the majority of participants (56.8%) reported that they had self-medicated for their acne Conclusion: Our study concluded from the study that most individuals prefer to use topical preparation rather than oral preparations to treat acne. The results of the current survey also revealed that, despite the fact that the majority of students possess information, there is a need to raise awareness among medical students about efficient methods so that they may better assist the general people.

Keywords: Acne, medical students, Saudi Arabia, self-medication

Medical Science, 2023, 27, e107ms2887

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi/v27i132/e107ms2887

Published: 22 February 2023