AbstractObjectives:
To assess the level of perception and awareness of health science students towards using over-the-counter (OTC) medicines andreveal any malpractice.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional correlational study employing an internet-based self-administered questionnaire collected data from342 participants. The study model comprised four compartments: introductory, socio-demographic, utilizing OTC medications, and estimatingthe perception level. Descriptive statistics were used to describe participants’ demographics and main study variables. Non-parametric descriptiveanalysis and chi-squared tests were used to determine significance across the three medical schools. The response rate among students intheir first academic year (33.9%) was the highest.Findings: Most participants rely on OTC to treat minor conditions like pain and the common cold. Nutraceuticals have been used heavily. Theparticipants showed a positive attitude towards self-treatment; the average perception score was 3.45 (SD = 0.60; 95%CI: 3.38–3.51). Besides,participants on regularly prescribed medications still determined the interaction between their treatments and non-prescribed medications.No significant association between attitude average score and participant age (r = −0.06; P = .273). Likewise, no differences were found inperceived attitude towards OTC based on gender (P = .41), academic level (P = .223), and college (P = .84).Conclusion: This study provides an overview of the level of medical student’s perception towards self-treatment; despite the promising levelsof knowledge and perception, it is necessitated to introduce interprofessional medical education to get an integrated knowledge and qualifiedgraduates to provide the best health services.Keywords: OTC; health science colleges; interprofessional medical education; self-prescribing medications Authors: Ra’ed M. Shudifat1,*, Sultan Mosleh1, Suhair Almakhzomi2, Mohammad Al Shdifat3,Malek Alnajar4, Ja’far M. Alkhawaldeh5, Lidia K. Al-Halaseh6 Journal of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research, Volume 15, Issue 1, March 2024, https://doi.org/10.1093/jphsr/rmad049
