Self-medication due to COVID-19 symptoms in rotating Nursing interns

Abstract

Introduction: self-medication can generate adverse reactions, drug interactions, delay and failure in the diagnosis of the disease, resistance to antibiotics and loss of health resources. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it is reported that the frequency of adverse reactions due to self-medication has doubled. Objective: to identify the various causes and factors that affect self-medication by COVID-19 in rotating Nursing interns at the "Luis Gabriel Dávila" Hospital in Tulcán, Ecuador. Method: a descriptive-analytical-correlational cross-sectional study was carried out on self-medication in 64 rotating Nursing interns of said institution in the period 2020-2021. Methods were used: empirical, analytical-synthetic, inductive-deductive, historical-logical level. The questionnaire was the technique applied to characterize the current state. The collected data was exported to Microsoft Excel v.2013. Results: 50.3% of Nursing inmates took frequent medication, 60.9% self-medicated with analgesics in the presence of symptoms due to COVID-19. 29.7% presented sore throat as a symptom of COVID-19, followed by fever with 26.5%. 78.1% used the oral route. 55.0% of these inmates always had free access to medications in their rotations; which prompted 42.2% to self-medication. Conclusions: the results obtained serve to characterize the problem of self-medication by COVID-19 in university students and provide information for the formulation of strategies that reduce its negative impact. The university and health authorities must dedicate efforts to the problem of self-medication by COVID-19, since it is a public health problem worldwide.

Keywords

• automedicación
• síntomas
• complicaciones
• internos rotativos
• covid-19
• enfermería