Original Research Article
Year: 2022 | Month: February | Volume: 12 | Issue: 2 | Pages: 163-175
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijhsr.20220223
Self-Medication among Health Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Southern Nigeria: Knowledge, Patterns, Practice and Associated Factors
Josephine Enekole Aitafo1,2, Woroma Wonodi1,2, Datonye Christopher Briggs1,2, Boma Awoala West1,2
1Department of Paediatrics, Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria
2Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, College of Medical Sciences, Rivers State University, Nkpolu, Port Harcourt, Rivers state, Nigeria.
Corresponding Author: Josephine Enekole Aitafo
ABSTRACT
Background: The scare from the morbidity and mortality caused by the novel COVID-19 disease has continued with no specific cure in sight and many persons, including health care providers have resorted to self-medication. The study was intended to ascertain the prevalence of self-medication against COVID-19 among health workers in Rivers State.
Methodology: A cross-sectional survey of health workers in Rivers State was carried out using self-administered questionnaires on self-medication against the COVID-19 disease from January 2021 to March 2021. Data were analyzed using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 25.0. Results are presented in charts and tables and a p-value of <0.05 was significant.
Results: A total of 220 responses were received from health workers, 50% of whom worked in private hospitals. Only 35 (15.9%) of them reported to have ever indulged in self-medication for COVID-19. The most common drugs used for self-medication were Vitamin C, Zinc. Azithromycin, antimalarials (other than Hydroxychloroquine) and Hydroxychloroquine. Most medications were self-prescribed and procured from the pharmacies. Most persons (80%) who self-medicated did so for fear of being infected following contact with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases or following sudden emergency illnesses.
Conclusion: Self-medication against COVID-19 is present among health workers in Rivers State and commonest among those who have tertiary level of education, those who are doctors and those who work in a public health facility.
Key words: Self-medication, Health workers, Covid-19, Pandemic, Nigeria.