Assessment of Healthcare-Seeking Behaviour and Self-Medication among Adult Patients with Gastrointestinal Symptoms at a Rural Clinic in the Niger Delta of Nigeria (original) (raw)

PubMed, 2023

Abstract

Background: Patients' behaviour in making decisions regarding their health is currently changing from a passive role to an active one in which they participate fully in the control of their health as well as take initiatives in self-care. Objectives: This study evaluated health-seeking behaviour and practice of self-medication among patients with abdominal pain in a rural Primary Health Centre in the Niger Delta. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study among 400 patients that attended the Primary Health Centre in Oyorokoto, Rivers State, Nigeria. Interviewer-administered questionnaires were used to collect data on participants' demographics, medicines-taking behaviour, and practice of self-medication, Data analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Science for windows version 20. The p-value of <0.05 at a confidence level of 95% was considered significant. Results: Most of the participants chose to consult formal health care when they experienced health problems (57.3%), and self-medication prevalence was 29.5%. The majority of the respondents (65.8%) took medication based on a health worker's advice while 32.5% depended on past experience with a similar illness. The practice of self-medication was significantly associated with gender, age, and religion. The female gender and older age groups significantly practice self-medication compared to the males and younger age groups(p<0.001). Christians significantly practice self-medication (p = 0.038). Conclusion: Increasing public awareness of the rational choice of getting medical assistance is very important. A health education program to increase awareness about the use of medicines among the general public and to enable them make the right decisions relating to their health problems is advocated.

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