Practice of Self-medication in Jimma Town

Background: Inappropriate drug use in self-medication leads to emergence of drug resistant pathogens and poses serious health hazards. Objective: To assess the prevalence of self-medication among residents of Jimma town. Method: The study was conducted in December 2000. It was a community based cross-sectional survey on a sample of 352 households, which were selected systematically. Data was collected by structured and pre-tested questionnaire, and analyzed using SPSS/PC computer statistical soft ware. Results: Out of the 152 ill people, 27.6% were self-medicated. The most frequent illness reported for self-medication was headache (60%). Most of the drugs for self-medication were obtained from drug retail outlets (52.4%). The relative lesser cost (35.7%) was the major reason for using self-medication. Conclusion: The availability of drugs in informal sectors contributed to the increase in self-medication. Though self-medication is hard to eliminate, drug law enforcement and educating the public at large is vital. [Ethiop.J.Health Dev. 2003;17(2):111-116]