Knowledge and Attitude about Drugs and the Current Status of Self-medication of Nursing Students

Kim, Hae Ok; Lee, Eun Joo; Sung, Min; Kim, Min Kyeong

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Nursing college students are exposed to information about diseases or drugs, and are likely to have a distorted perception of drug knowledge or behavior. The study aimed to identify knowledge and attitude about drugs and current status of self-medication among nursing students.
METHODS
The subjects were 172 nursing students from a university in Busan. Data were collected with structured questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive analysis, t-test, and one-way ANOVA using SPSS 23.0.
RESULTS
Nursing students had a high level of knowledge about drugs, but attitudes toward drugs were relatively low. 83.7% of patients had experience of self-medication. The methods to acquire information for self-administration were 29.9% by smart phone and 27.1% by internet. The use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) among self-medication drugs was the highest. The most common reason for self-medication was "˜I thought it to be a mild disease', and the pharmacists were the most affected by choice of self-medication. The knowledge about drugs was statistically significant according to grade, school life satisfaction and subjective health status. The attitudes about medication were statistically significant according to grade and self-medication experience.
CONCLUSION
Nursing college students need drug safety education to improve awareness and practice of correct drug use.