JOURNAL OF CLINICAL AND DIAGNOSTIC RESEARCH
Self-medication Behaviour in Dysmenorrhoea Management among Medical and Pharmacy Students: A Cross-sectional Study from Saudi Arabia
By Mukhtar Ansari, Maryam Farooqui, Saeed Obeid Alfadly and 5 others.
Abstract
Introduction
Dysmenorrhoea among young women is a prevalent health condition, which causes physical discomfort, a feeling of frustration, a decline in academic performance and withdrawal from social activities such as sports.
Aim
To investigate Self-Medication (SM) practices among medical and pharmacy students for the management of dysmenorrhoea. Materials and Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted at Qassim University, Unaizah, Saudi Arabia, among 237 female students enrolled in medical and pharmacy schools. The study duration was three months, from January 2019 to March 2019. Data were collected using a structured, validated questionnaire with two sections: the first focused on sociodemographic details, menstrual history, and symptoms; the second on treatment approaches and healthcare-seeking behaviours. The researchers distributed the questionnaire to be completed within a one-week period; however, to increase the response rate, an additional week was added to the study duration, enabling a more thorough data collection. Data was analysed using IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Statistics version 21 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA).