Knowledge, attitude and practice of self-medication of mefenamic acid in dysmenorrhea among health science students

Background: Self-medication(SM) is widely practiced in developed and developing countries. SM is very common nowadays because it is accessible, cheap, rapid and convenient solutions. Self-medication is an important public health issue which may affect children and adolescents. Incorrect diagnosis, improper dosage, drug interaction can be seen due to SM. Dysmenorrhea is the one of the most common public health problems which may produce negative impact on female, health, school, work activities and psychological state. The prevalence of dysmenorrhea can be found in between 48.4-84.2% of all reproductive age women in different countries like US, Japan, India. Mefenamic acid is commonly used medication in dysmenorrhea. Mefenamic acid is non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) can be used for the acute treatment of pain. It is the anthranilic acid derivative class of NSAIDS. Objective: To assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of self-medication of mefenamic acid in dysmenorrhea among health science students. Methodology: The descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 343 health science students who were practicing self-medication in dysmenorrhea from May to July 2023 using self- administered questionnaire. Results and Conclusions: Out of 343 participants, 55.70% of the respondents have an adequate knowledge of self-medication but 44.30% have an inadequate knowledge of self-medication. 76.10 % of the respondents are doing correct practice and 23.90% are doing incorrect practice. 64.4% have positive attitude towards self-medication in dysmenorrhea and 35.6% of the respondents have negative attitude towards self-medication in dysmenorrhea. The study findings highlight need to aware young females regarding self-medication to provide knowledge of benefits, adverse effects, and their impact on health due to wrong use of medication.