{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,18]],"date-time":"2026-08-18T02:03:49Z","timestamp":1787018629584,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":34,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,1]],"date-time":"2026-03-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1772323200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,1]],"date-time":"2026-03-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1772323200000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["INQUIRY"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,3]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Self-medication, defined as the use of medicines without prior professional consultation, is a widespread public health concern. When practiced inappropriately, particularly through the misuse of antibiotics, it contributes to adverse drug reactions and the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Medical students represent a population of particular interest, as their clinical knowledge may predispose them to self-treat conditions such as upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs), which are predominantly viral and self-limiting. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of self-medication for URTIs and to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of clinical-phase medical students toward this behavior.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A cross-sectional study was conducted among 165 clinical-phase MBBS students, including third-, fourth-, and fifth-year students and interns, selected by simple random sampling. Data were collected using a structured, self-administered questionnaire adapted from World Health Organization guidelines, covering sociodemographic characteristics and knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding self-medication for URTIs. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 25 and included descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and correlation analyses, with statistical significance defined as p &lt; 0.05.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The mean age of participants was 23.5 \u00b1 2.25 years, with a nearly equal gender distribution. Three-quarters of students (74.5%) reported having self-medicated for URTIs, with community pharmacies serving as the primary source of medicines (71.5%). Only 21.2% of participants demonstrated good knowledge, while 54.5% showed moderate knowledge. Although 79.4% recognized the link between antibiotic misuse and AMR, 27.9% still believed antibiotics to be effective against viral URTIs, and 21.2% admitted to not completing prescribed antibiotic courses. Despite the majority (77.6%) holding negative attitudes toward self-medication in principle, unsafe practices remained prevalent. The year of study was significantly associated with both knowledge level and self-medication practices (p &lt; 0.05).<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Self-medication for URTIs is highly prevalent among clinical-phase medical students, revealing a concerning disconnect between knowledge, attitudes, and actual clinical behavior. Addressing this gap will require reinforcing antimicrobial stewardship within medical curricula, strengthening clinical supervision, and implementing stricter regulation of over-the-counter antibiotic availability, all of which are essential steps toward promoting rational drug use and mitigating the escalation of antimicrobial resistance.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1177\/00469580261452843","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,12]],"date-time":"2026-06-12T05:00:53Z","timestamp":1781240453000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Self-Medication for Upper Respiratory Tract Infections (URTIs) Among Clinical Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Study of Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"63","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9466-3232","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Abishesh","family":"Shakya","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"KIST Medical College and Teaching Hospital (KISTMCTH)"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rishi","family":"Bhatta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"KIST Medical College and Teaching Hospital (KISTMCTH)"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ashish","family":"Khadgi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"KIST Medical College and Teaching Hospital (KISTMCTH)"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ayush","family":"Rauniyar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"KIST Medical College and Teaching Hospital (KISTMCTH)"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sandeep","family":"Shrestha","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Manipal Medical College"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Prem Prasad","family":"Panta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"KIST Medical College and Teaching Hospital (KISTMCTH)"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9174-7120","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sunil","family":"Shrestha","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Kathmandu Cancer Center"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,11]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_8_2_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/20420986221127501"},{"key":"e_1_3_8_3_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/B978-0-12-819837-7.00007-8"},{"key":"e_1_3_8_4_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4103\/0976-0105.128253"},{"key":"e_1_3_8_5_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2147\/dhps.S290662"},{"key":"e_1_3_8_6_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2165\/00002018-200124140-00002"},{"key":"e_1_3_8_7_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.sapharm.2021.05.008"},{"key":"e_1_3_8_8_2","unstructured":"O'Neill J. Tackling drug-resistant infections globally: final report and recommendations. Review on Antimicrobial Resistance; 2016."},{"key":"e_1_3_8_9_2","volume-title":"Global action plan on antimicrobial resistance","author":"WHO W","year":"2015","unstructured":"WHO W. Global action plan on antimicrobial resistance. 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Geneva: World Health Organization; 2014."}],"container-title":["INQUIRY: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/00469580261452843","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1177\/00469580261452843","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/00469580261452843","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,15]],"date-time":"2026-06-15T00:17:10Z","timestamp":1781482630000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/00469580261452843"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,3]]},"references-count":34,"alternative-id":["10.1177\/00469580261452843"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/00469580261452843","relation":{},"ISSN":["0046-9580","1945-7243"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0046-9580","type":"print"},{"value":"1945-7243","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,3]]},"article-number":"00469580261452843"}}