Self-medication between universities in the health area inside Tocantins

Abstract

The National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) conceptualizes self-medication as indiscriminate use of medications without the prescription, guidance and monitoring of a health professional (doctor or dentist). The act of self-medication among academics in the health field is considered quite common in higher education institutions. It aims to identify the associated factors and the prevalence linked to self-medication in students of a higher education institution in the health area in the interior of Tocantins. This study is a field research, cross-sectional with quantitative analysis, sample selection through randomized means. The research was carried out with Nursing, Biomedicine and Physiotherapy students enrolled at Instituto Educacional Santa Catarina - IESC - Faculdade Guaraí - FAG, in Tocantins, through a virtual questionnaire containing 20 questions. The research is composed by 198 university students, being the predominant female gender (86%). When analyzing the practice, 42% of those surveyed state that they self-medicate with a certain frequency, with 70% of students looking for information about medications before self-medicating, the information is mostly obtained on the internet. The most used pharmacological class was vitamins, with 95%. For 45%, self-medication was influenced by their knowledge about medicines, as they were students in the health field. The research demonstrates the importance of the theme, promoting actions in educational institutions that aim at the perception of academics in relation to self-medication and the role as a health professional of not carrying out such practice.