{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,3]],"date-time":"2026-09-03T10:36:45Z","timestamp":1788431805006,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":48,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,3,21]],"date-time":"2024-03-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1710979200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":20,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Health Science Reports"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2024,3]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title><jats:sec><jats:title>Background and Aims<\/jats:title><jats:p>Self\u2010medication is a worldwide phenomenon that brings advantages and disadvantages to public health and health systems. This study investigated the extent and causes of self\u2010medication among medical university students and its implications for public health in Iran in 2020.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>The present study was designed as a descriptive\u2010analytical cross\u2010sectional study that examined the knowledge, attitude, and practice of self\u2010medication. The population of the study was the students of health sciences programs who all entered the study. The data collection tool included a questionnaire designed online and available to students. The content validity ratio of the questionnaire was 0.84, and the alpha Cronbach coefficient was calculated at 0.8936.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>The prevalence of self\u2010medication among medical university students was 19%. The most common reason for self\u2010medication was the safety of medicines (66.67%). The most usual form of medication used was the tablet (35.67%), the most common drug taken was acetaminophen (69.01%), and the most common disease to self\u2010medicate for was headache (67.36%). Estimating the odds ratio of self\u2010medication with demographic variables showed no relationship. However, after adjusting the variables, age and type of degree showed an association with self\u2010medication, as the older participants and postgraduate students had positive attitudes toward self\u2010medication.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>Self\u2010medication may be helpful, but it often needs proper guidance and logic and can carry various risks. Considering that medical sciences students will be influential in society in the future, it is necessary to pay more attention to correcting their drug use culture and providing access to health services for everyone. Appropriate prescription of medicines, controlling drug sales in pharmacies, highlighting the role of pharmacists in safe self\u2010medication, and controlling the prevalence of self\u2010medication is necessary.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1002\/hsr2.1983","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,3,21]],"date-time":"2024-03-21T07:43:41Z","timestamp":1711007021000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":8,"title":["The prevalence and causes of self\u2010medication among medical university students in Iran during COVID\u201019 outbreak and its implications for public health and health systems: A cross\u2010sectional study"],"prefix":"10.1002","volume":"7","author":[{"given":"Fatemeh","family":"Kokabisaghi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Social Determinants of Health Research Center Mashhad University of Medical Sciences Mashhad Iran"},{"name":"Department of Health Economics and Management Sciences, School of Health Mashhad University of Medical Sciences Mashhad Iran"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mina Sadat Mousavi","family":"Emadi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Social Determinants of Health Research Center Mashhad University of Medical Sciences Mashhad Iran"},{"name":"Department of Health Economics and Management Sciences, School of Health Mashhad University of Medical Sciences Mashhad Iran"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3767-9921","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Amirmohammad","family":"Tajik","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Pharmacy Mashhad University of Medical Sciences Mashhad Iran"},{"name":"Health Policy Research Center, Institute of Health Shiraz University of Medical Sciences Shiraz Iran"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2035-6587","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Farshad","family":"Sharifi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Elderly Health Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Population Sciences Institute Tehran University of Medical Sciences Tehran Iran"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Elaheh","family":"Houshmand","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Social Determinants of Health Research Center Mashhad University of Medical Sciences Mashhad Iran"},{"name":"Department of Health Economics and Management Sciences, School of Health Mashhad University of Medical Sciences Mashhad Iran"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6249-821X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mehdi","family":"Varmaghani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Social Determinants of Health Research Center Mashhad University of Medical Sciences Mashhad Iran"},{"name":"Department of Health Economics and Management Sciences, School of Health Mashhad University of Medical Sciences Mashhad Iran"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,3,21]]},"reference":[{"issue":"4","key":"e_1_2_11_2_1","first-page":"34","article-title":"A survey of the prevalence of self\u2010medication and the factors affecting it in pregnant mothers referring to health centers in Arak city, 2009","volume":"7","author":"Shamsi M","year":"2022","journal-title":"Pars J Med Sci"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_3_1","unstructured":"World Health Organization.Guidelines for the Regulatory Assessment of Medicinal Products for Use in Self\u2010Medication(No. WHO\/EDM\/QSM\/00.1). 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