Self-medication in patients of the basic health unit of a brazilian city

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DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24302/sma.v9i0.2824

Abstract

The objective of the study was to analyze the prevalence of self-medication among users of Basic Health Units in the city of Monte Alegre – Rio Grande do Norte State, Brazil. A descriptive exploratory study was carried out, through the application of structured questionnaires, with 125 people. It was observed that 83% of the interviewees practiced self-medication, of these, 34%, they did it monthly. The main justifications for this practice were: difficulty accessing health services (50%), financial reasons (28%) and lack of time (22%). The most used drugs were: analgesic (63%), anti-inflammatory (13%) and sedative / hypnotic (7.0%). Most (55%) claimed to have no or little knowledge about the meaning of self-medication. This demonstrates the need for health education actions in order to educate the population about the risks of this practice, since it can lead to masking of symptoms of diseases, drug interactions and intoxications that compromise the health of the user.

Keywords: Health. Drug. Use.

Author Biographies

Dany Geraldo Kramer, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte

Professor Doutor do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde do Família do Nordeste. (RENASF). Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte. Rio Grande do Norte. Brasil.

Franklin Learcton Bezerra de Oliveira, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte

Enfermeiro. Discente do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Enfermagem. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte. Rio Grande do Norte. Brasil.

Geraldo Barroso Cavalcanti Junior, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte

Professor Doutor da Faculdade de Farmácia. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte. Rio Grande do Norte. Brasil.

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Published

2020-08-28

How to Cite

Kramer, D. G., Oliveira, F. L. B. de, & Cavalcanti Junior, G. B. . (2020). Self-medication in patients of the basic health unit of a brazilian city. Saúde E Meio Ambiente: Revista Interdisciplinar, 9, 120–129. https://doi.org/10.24302/sma.v9i0.2824

Issue

Vol. 9 (2020)

Section

Artigos

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Copyright (c) 2020 Saúde e meio ambiente: revista interdisciplinar

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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