Comparing self-medication and medical supervised treatment before hospitalization among patients with Covid-19 : A retrospective case-control study

Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved..

BACKGROUND: During the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been a notable increase in self-medication with antibiotics or other medications due to impaired access to healthcare services. This kind of self-treatment, without comprehending the condition and its related risks, can result in misdiagnosis, overdosing and delaying in acquiring professional medical attention, or may even cause antimicrobial resistance. Additionally, reports have suggested that medical practitioners have prescribed medications inappropriately to patients with Covid-19. To investigate this further, this study compared the medications used by patients with Covid-19 prior to hospitalization with or without a medical recommendation.

METHODS: Data was extracted a mass survey of patients with of Covid-19 in Mashhad, and the patients were divided into two main groups: those who received medication with guidance from a medical professional (treatment group) and those who self-administered medications without professional oversight (self-treatment group). Statistical analysis was then conducted using SPSS version 26, the Chi-square, and multiple logistic regression test.

RESULTS: This study examined 3266 patients, with 1466 included in the analysis. Results showed that men (9.5 %), those living in rural areas (21 %), and those with no academic degree (37.5%) had a higher likelihood to self-medicating. Antibiotics were the most frequently used medications prior to hospitalization (9.5%). Comparing the two groups revealed that three drug categories- antibiotics, antivirals and other medications (medicines that are not in the other 4 main categories)- were utilized more often in the treatment group than in the self-treatment group, with a p-value of < 0.05. The only medical condition that had a significant difference between the two groups was diabetes, with 34.1 % in the self-treatment group versus 24.5 % in the treatment group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: The Covid-19 pandemic has caused a surge in the inappropriate use of certain medications through self-medicating. This poses a serious risk to the health of patients, highlighting the need for not only adjusting guidelines but also raising awareness and enforcing compliance to prevent unnecessary use of drugs.

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2023

Erschienen:

2023

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:16 Suppl 1

Enthalten in:

Journal of infection and public health - 16 Suppl 1(2023) vom: 02. Dez., Seite 119-124

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Khoshbakht, Reza [VerfasserIn]
Semsari Bonab, Mohammad [VerfasserIn]
Hajizadegan, Homa [VerfasserIn]
Tavakolizadeh Nooghabi, Ehsan [VerfasserIn]
Ghorbani, Atousa [VerfasserIn]
Asgari, Maryam [VerfasserIn]
Neshani, Alireza [VerfasserIn]
Ghavidel, Mahdis [VerfasserIn]
Sadeghian, Hamid [VerfasserIn]

Links:

Volltext

Themen:

Anti-Bacterial Agents
Antibiotic Resistance
Antibiotics
COVID-19
Hospitalization
Inappropriate Prescribing
Journal Article
Self Medication

Anmerkungen:

Date Completed 27.11.2023

Date Revised 27.11.2023

published: Print-Electronic

Citation Status MEDLINE

doi:

10.1016/j.jiph.2023.10.023

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

NLM36417157X