SELF-MEDICATION AMONG FIRST-YEAR NURSING STUDENTS

The aim of the study was to identify self-medication practices among nursing students. Material and methods: A number of 89 first-year nursing school students voluntarily answered a questionnaire regarding self-medication. The data were processed using SPSS 17. Results: Regarding the acquisition of certain drugs, the results are the following: antibiotics (M = 2.29 +/- 1.04), analgesics (M = 2.50 +/- 1.26), sleeping pills (M = 1.29 +/- 1.15), vitamins (M = 3.03 +/- 1.10), anti-inflammatory drugs (M = 2.48 +/- 1.07) and natural products (M = 3.24 +/- 1.17). TV promotion and price do not change students' choice of a special drug. A total of 94.32% claimed that they store drugs at home and 62.50% declared that they keep drugs out of reach (bags, private car, office, etc.) Variables like age and nursing experience had no influence on drug-buying behaviour. The conclusion was that a high number of students from nursing school use drugs with no medical prescription. Vitamins and natural products are the most frequent drugs bought without medical indication.