PARENTAL SELF MEDICATION OF ANTIBIOTICS FOR CHILDREN IN BAGHDAD CITY

Abstract

Objective: to evaluate many factors associated with self medication practice of parents for the behalf of their children . Methods: This study was designed as the cross sectional descriptive study in which the data was collected via direct interviews with the parents using previously prepared questionnaires. A total of 124 parents with the practice of self medication for their children were included. Results: The majority of children were 1-6 years old and male children were slightly more than females. The main reason of self medication was dealing with same current ailments previously followed by considering the current illness as mild one. The major sources of information about self medicated antibiotics were previous prescription and community pharmacists. The most frequent source of antibiotics was the community pharmacies. Upper respiratory tract conditions were the commonest indication for self medication. Amoxicillin was found to be the most frequently acquired and utilized antibiotic in this study. Conclusion: Many parents considered that self medicated antibiotics are powerful agents in treating a wide range of children conditions without confirming the microbial cause of these conditions. Community pharmacists could play very important roles in improving the practice of parental self medication.