Self-Medication: A Survey of Prescription Drug Use and Counselling Intervention Strategies

Abstract

Self-medication has been of great concern to the general society. People engage in a variety of drug taking behaviours on a daily basis. The study investigated the incidence of self-medication among teachers in Nsukka Education Zone made up of Nsukka, Udenu, Uzo-Uwani and Igboeze Local Government Areas. The study adopted a descriptive design method, with a population that comprised all teachers in all the schools in the Zone. A total of 300 teachers stratified into 150 males and 150 females
were randomly selected from all the schools. A questionnaire was used to collect data on a four-point scale with strongly agree- 4, agree-3, disagree-2 and strongly disagree-1. Results showed that self-medication is real among the teachers in Nsukka Education Zone and they mainly self-medicate with anti malarial, cough and cold drugs. There is
significant gender difference in incidence of self-medication and drugs used. The study recommended the intervention by both the government and Guidance Counsellors to eradicate self-medication among teachers.