Avaliação da prevalência da automedicação entre acadêmicos de medicina no Brasil: uma revisão integrativa

Karenn Fernanda Silva Delmondes, Fernando Augusto Medeiros Souto, Ana Cristina Doria dos Santos

Abstract

Self-medication is a term that refers to the use of medications incorrectly or without the guidance of a doctor. This is a dangerous practice and can cause a series of problems. In this sense, a qualitative integrative review was carried out, with retrospective collection, in the databases Bivlioteca Virtual em Saúde (BVS), Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO) and PubMed, between the years 2015 and 2023, on the prevalence of self-medication among medical students. The following were included: articles in English and/or Portuguese, which answered the guiding question “What is the prevalence of self-medication among medical students?”. The results indicate a high prevalence of self-medication among medical students, with a significant increase as they progress through the course. This represents a major health problem. Therefore, the motivation for self-medication among this group and the risks that this practice brings must be analyzed, in order to reduce self-medication among future health professionals. Therefore, the practice of self-medication is alarming and can lead to the worsening of diseases and cause serious damage to health. Furthermore, there are contributing factors that must be minimized as much as possible, such as: easy access to medicines without a prescription, failure to disclose the risks of self-medication and the importance of responsible use of medicines.