Knowledge and Attitude about Drugs and the Current Status of Self-medication of Nursing Students
10.15715/kjhcom.2018.13.2.185
- Author:
Hae Ok KIM
1
;
Eun Joo LEE
;
Min SUNG
;
Min Kyeong KIM
Author Information
1. Professor, Department of nursing, Kyungnam University, Republic of Korea. augmentin@naver.com
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Nursing;
Knowledge;
Attitude;
Drug
- MeSH:
Busan;
Diagnostic Self Evaluation;
Education;
Humans;
Internet;
Nursing;
Pharmacists;
Smartphone;
Students, Nursing
- From:
Health Communication
2018;13(2):185-193
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
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.
