Prevalencia de automedicación y factores asociados en estudiantes de la Facultad de Ciencias Médicas de la Universidad de Cuenca durante el periodo febrero-mayo de 2024

Abstract

Background: self-medication is a global health problem, with a marked prevalence in university students. A meta-analysis carried out in 2020 determined a prevalence of 70.1%, being higher in medical students (97.2%) and more frequently in female students. Analgesics, flu medications and antacids are the most used drugs with prevalences of (99.13%), (26.89%) and (22.3%), respectively. Objectives: identify the prevalence of self-medication and associated factors in students of the Faculty of Medical Sciences of the University of Cuenca in the period February-May 2024. Methods: cross-sectional descriptive study, carried out at the Faculty of Medical Sciences of the University of Cuenca in the period February-May 2024, including 329 students of both sexes, ≥ 18 years old, who agree to participate in the study and sign the informed consent, excluding students who are in rotating boarding school. Data collection was carried out through the CAuM-ovr questionnaire. For the analysis, the chi-square descriptive statistics was used with a 95% confidence interval. Results: the prevalence of self-medication in students of the Faculty of Medical Sciences is 71.4%, with a statistically significant difference with respect to the career they study. The most common symptom that motivated self-medication is pain and the most common drugs are analgesics/anti-inflammatories. Conclusions: there is a high prevalence of self-medication in students of the Faculty of Medical Sciences of the University of Cuenca, associated with sociodemographic factors and practices related to it.