Self-medication profile of ENT patients

SummaryAimTo describe self-medication habits of patients with otorhinolaryngological disorders to characterize problematic aspects in order to manage and correct them.Study DesignDescriptive.Materials and MethodsA multiple-choice questionnaire was used to obtain the data, consisting of 17 questions about self-medication habits. It was distributed to the patients assisted in our ENT clinic, in July/2003.ResultsApproximately 83% of the admitted patients have practiced self-medication (without medical prescription). However, 73% of them stated that it wasn’t mandatory to present a prescription in order to obtain the medicine. The most utilized drugs were: analgesics/antipyretics (90%), cold and flu drugs (78%), and NSAIDs (69%); antibiotics were the 8th (11%). Among the reasons or diseases patients believed to suffer from that justified the self-medication practice, we observed: headaches (76%), cold/flu (74%) and nonspecific febrile illnesses (56%); otitis, in general, was the last (12%).ConclusionsThis study demonstrates the need for continuous educational programs about the risks of self-medication, besides appropriate governmental regulation and inspection.