Self-medication: habits during a pandemic period – a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Self-medication is a very common practice, and the COVID-19 pandemic may have created conditions for greater access to community pharmacies, particularly in situations of minor illnesses. This study aimed to analyze the self-medication habits of a sample of the Portuguese population during the
initial period of the pandemic (March-November 2020), to identify the most consumed Over-thecounter (OTC) medicines and food supplements, as well as the situations that drive participants to use self-medication and searching for information about these products. A cross-sectional, observational
study was carried out through the application of a questionnaire using an internet platform, during the month of December 2020. The data was obtained anonymously and was analyzed using the IBM SPSS v26 program. The sample under analysis consisted of 170 individuals, and it was found that the pandemic did not seem to have affected the frequency of visits to the pharmacy. The situations that most led people to use self-medication were headaches and muscle pain. The drugs most used during this period by this study´s participants were analgesics and anti-inflammatories. Despite all the restrictions imposed by the pandemic situation, there seems to have been no negative impact on the access to community pharmacies, nor a significant increase in the practice of self-medication. The relevant role of Pharmacy professionals was also highlighted, particularly in situations of self-medication, as a source of information on the use of medicines and food supplements.