Assessing attitude and practice of students in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences towards self-medication

Self-medication in students as educated people in the community is one of the most important social-health issues. The aim of this study was to evaluate the attitude and practice of students in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences towards self-medication. This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 483 students of medical university of Shiraz. The Samples were selected using cluster-randomized sampling method from 4 colleges. Data were collected using a self medication standard three-part questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS software and chi-square, t-test, and Pearson’s correlation coefficient tests. The mean and standard deviation of attitude and practice scores of students were 24.53 ± 9.98 and 2.41 ± 1.61, respectively. The difference in mean score of attitude and practice of students in different fields of study was statistically significant. In addition, the correlation between attitude and practioce variables was statistically significant. The mean score of attitude and practice of students in this study was very low, therefore, the development of appropriate educational programs in the field of self-medication will be effective.