Knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding self-medication among healthcare college students in Vietnam: a cross-sectional study

Background : Self-medication is a common health behavior worldwide, particularly among health sciences students who may overestimate their pharmacological competence. In Vietnam, existing evidence focuses almost exclusively on university students, whereas associate-degree pharmacy and nursing students—the future primary healthcare workforce—have not been systematically compared. Objectives : This study assessed knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding self-medication and identified independent predictors of this behavior. Methods : A cross-sectional study was conducted from November to December 2025 among 363 final-year students (223 pharmacy students and 140 nursing students) using total sampling at Binh Duong Medical College. A self-administered questionnaire was culturally adapted through a six-stage process; internal consistency reached a Kuder–Richardson 20 coefficient of 0.85 for knowledge and Cronbach’s alpha of 0.92 for attitudes. Data were analyzed using the chi-squared test, the Mann–Whitney U test, and multivariable logistic regression with multicollinearity control. Results : Most students had good knowledge (80.1%), with a higher proportion among pharmacy students than among nursing students (84.3% vs. 73.2%; p = 0.037). Most students showed a moderate propensity toward self-medication (79.7%). The six-month prevalence of self-medication was 53.3% and was markedly higher among pharmacy students (61.0% vs. 40.0%; p < 0.001). Multivariable analysis identified three independent predictors: nursing discipline (odds ratio = 0.43; 95% confidence interval: 0.24–0.75; p = 0.003), attitude score (odds ratio = 1.05; 95% confidence interval: 1.01–1.09; p = 0.009), and a grade point average of 2.00–2.49 (odds ratio = 3.76; 95% confidence interval: 1.13–17.21; p = 0.049). Knowledge score was not significant ( p = 0.320). Conclusion : Despite a solid pharmacological foundation, more than half of the final-year students practiced self-medication. Attitudes and training discipline—but not knowledge—were significant independent predictors. Health professional curricula should incorporate attitude-oriented interventions emphasizing the limits of professional competence and clinical risk to promote responsible self-medication.