الفهرس 
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Abstract
Conclusion
The concept of self-medication encourages an individual to look after minor illnesses with simple and effective remedies which has been adopted worldwide The increase in self-medication attribuated to a number of factors such as socio-economic factors, lifestyle, ready access to drugs, the increased potential to manage certain ailments through self-care, and greater availability of medicinal goods in the market.
The patient serenity with the healthcare provider, long waiting times, cost of the drugs, educational level, age, and gender are the other important factors influences self-medication.
One of the most common reasons for indulging in self-medication includes high-cost fees of private doctor’s consultations. The condition is worst in rural or distant corners, where the people are deprived socially, economically, with inadequate health facilities.
The patient’s evaluation of his illness has been minor also identified as one of the major factors for self-medication .Although, OTC drugs are intended to be used as self-medication and are of established efficacy and safety but their inappropriate use due to lack of knowledge of their side effects and drug interactions could have a serious consequence.
Studied population in this study Studied population in this study was attendants to three family health units in Sohag directorate (Edfain – ElHagarsa – Balasfoura) during the period from 1st September 2019 till 31th March 2020.
The aim of our study is to determine the prevalence of self-medication among the attendants and to identify the determinants of practicing self-medication.
Our results revealed that Among the studied population (57%) identified to practice self-medication (43%) not confirmed to practice self-medication.
The mean age of Self medication group was 29.2 + 18.7 years as compared to16.3 + 17.8 in non-self-medicated group; there was a highly statistically significant difference between the non self-medicated participants and self-medicated participants. Students and house wives formed the majority of self-medicated participants. Self medication was higher among married attendants and among those with primary educational level . In addition there was a highly statistically significant difference between the two groups as regard occupation, educational level, monthly income, religion and number of family members. low educational level and females had more odds to practice the self-medication.
Participants engaged in self-medication most frequently because doctors are busy with many patients; other reasons were to save time, for the high fees of doctors, they used an old prescribed medication and that they were prompted by a pharmacist.
According to the complaint for which the self-medication was taken, eye infection represented 10.1% and fever represented 9.2%. The price was the highest percentage among other considerations taken while selecting the drug of self-medication. The majority of self-medication participants obtained the drug used in self-medication from pharmacy shop., also most of self-medicated participants had never check the prescribing information before self-medication.
Most of the self-medicated participants had never experienced adverse events with the self-medication drug. Most respondents had taken infection in the last three months, and (62.7%) of them had practiced self-medication with antimicrobial drugs. Amongst all who self-medicated by antimicrobials,
the most recent disease or condition for self-medication was due to fever and eye infection.
There was a highly statistically significant difference between self medication group and non self medication group as regard the kind of their health insurance.
Recommendations
After what we found in this study about assessment of self-medication practices of participants about self -medication, we recommend that:
• Health Education :There is a need to improve population knowledge about drugs and promote healthier practices. This requires a multi sectorial effort. Mass media can also play an important role in disseminating the appropriate information to the general public.
• Stringent laws: should be enforced by the governments that prohibit the availability of drugs especially antibiotics as over the counter drugs. Also, pharmacist should be encouraged to give only the amount of antibiotics as mentioned in the prescription and not as per pack sizes.
• Doctor-patient Communication : Health professionals can play a vital role by educating people about the potential risks of self-medication as people are more likely to trust and consider their therapeutic advice and medical knowledge.
• Increase awareness and education regarding implications of self-medication, Enforcing strict rules regarding misleading pharmaceutical advertising, Working towards making health care facilities easily available, Availability of health care provider, Control
• toward rational diagnostic tests, Control of prescriber’s consultation and laboratory tests fee.
Summary
Self-medication is a serious public health concern. It’s a fairly widespread practice worldwide both in developed and developing nations. In Egypt, as in many Middle East countries, medications can easily be obtained over the counter and this is represented a serious public health problem in these countries.
The prevalence of medication abuse was progressively increased in Egypt during the last two decades .Self-medication practices (SMP) is highly prone to inappropriate use and has its own drawbacks resulting wastage of resources, increase drug resistance pathogens and adverse reactions.
Reasons commonly adduced for indulgence in self-medication include: socio cultural belief; long delays in the health centers ; relatively high cost of hospital treatment; previous experience of medical treatment of the same symptoms; illness being considered too trivial and health centers not being socially accessible; easy availability of over the counter (OTC) drugs; poor drug regulatory practice; urgency of the problem (emergency use); bureaucratic bottleneck; congestion (overcrowding in hospitals); and non-availability of essential drugs in most public health facilities.
Other factors like demographic factors have been found to influence self-medication. For instance, gender, age, sex and social role were discovered to have influence on self-medication. Besides, some individuals engage in the
practice out of ignorance, poverty, lack of access to health care and/or non-availability of health facilities.
Up till now, however, there is no legislation or restrictions on self-medication , particularly for antibiotics that may lead to the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance of different types of pathogenic bacteria with a consequent failure of antibiotic therapy and higher mortality and morbidity and prolonged hospital stay.
Knowledge concerning the patterns of self-medication and factors influencing this practice is essential. It helps identify the magnitude of this issue, prior to any intervention for promoting a safe, effective, and rational use of drugs in self-medication.