Skip to main content
PMC home page
British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology logoLink to British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology
. 1989 Jun;27(6):741–747. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2125.1989.tb03435.x

Self-medication in urban and rural Zimbabwean communities.

C M Stein 1, N P Gora 1, B M Macheka 1
PMCID: PMC1379800  PMID: 2757890

Abstract

1. A questionnaire examining the use of, and knowledge about over-the-counter (OTC) drugs was administered verbally to representatives from 200 urban and 200 rural households. Self-medication was common in both groups but there were more drugs present in rural (336 items) than urban homes (231 items) with the differences largely due to the more frequent presence of traditional medicines in rural homes. 2. Analgesics were the commonest items in the homes of both groups. A positive urine screening test for aspirin, chloroquine, or antibiotics was found in 25% of urban and 27% of rural samples tested. Respondents who elected to use an OTC drug for a particular symptom usually chose an appropriate drug. 3. Rural respondents were more likely to use traditional medicines particularly for the treatment of cough, abdominal pain, and diarrhoea. 4. Knowledge about dosages, the possibility of adverse reactions, and the seriousness of potential poisoning with OTC drugs was inadequate and needs to be corrected for more efficient self-medication.

Full text

PDF
747

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Baum C., Kennedy D. L., Forbes M. B., Jones J. K. Drug use in the United States in 1981. JAMA. 1984 Mar 9;251(10):1293–1297. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Buchanan N. Self-medication in a developing country. S Afr Med J. 1979 Oct 6;56(15):609–611. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bush P. J., Rabin D. L. Who's using nonprescribed medicines? Med Care. 1976 Dec;14(12):1014–1023. doi: 10.1097/00005650-197612000-00005. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Caranasos G. J., Stewart R. B., Cluff L. E. Drug-induced illness leading to hospitalization. JAMA. 1974 May 6;228(6):713–717. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Chaiton A., Spitzer W. O., Roberts R. S., Delmore T. Patterns of medical drug use - a community focus. Can Med Assoc J. 1976 Jan 10;114(1):33–37. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Ghosh R. B., Roy R. G., Sitaraman N. L. Letter: "Dill and Glazko" eosin colour test for detection of chloroquine in urine. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 1976;70(2):169–169. doi: 10.1016/0035-9203(76)90198-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Gold C. H. Acute renal failure from herbal and patent remedies in Blacks. Clin Nephrol. 1980 Sep;14(3):128–134. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Hossain M. M., Glass R. I., Khan M. R. Antibiotic use in a rural community in Bangladesh. Int J Epidemiol. 1982 Dec;11(4):402–405. doi: 10.1093/ije/11.4.402. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Joubert P. H., Sebata P. D., van Reenen O. R. Self-medication in a developing community. S Afr Med J. 1984 Jan 28;65(4):129–131. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Kapasi A. A., Lorin M. I., Nirken M. H., Yudovich M. Parents' knowledge and sources of knowledge about antipyretic drugs. J Pediatr. 1980 Dec;97(6):1035–1037. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(80)80453-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Lelijveld J., Kortmann H. The eosin colour test of Dill and Glazko: a simple field test to detect chloroquine in urine. Bull World Health Organ. 1970;42(3):477–479. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Mcevoy J. The bus-stop dispenser. East Afr Med J. 1976 Mar;53(3):193–194. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Nyazema N. Z. An examination of the use of over-the-counter drugs in Harare. Cent Afr J Med. 1983 Oct;29(10):203–209. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Peach H. Trends in self-prescribing and attitudes to self-medication. Practitioner. 1983 Oct;227(1384):1609–1615. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Raynal A. L. Use of over-the-counter medications in rural Matabeleland, Zimbabwe: the case for upgrading the dispensing skills of rural storekeepers. Cent Afr J Med. 1985 May;31(5):92–97. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Sekhar C., Raina R. K., Pillai G. K. Some aspects of drug use in Ethiopia. Trop Doct. 1981 Jul;11(3):116–118. doi: 10.1177/004947558101100307. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Sharon R., Kidroni G., Michel J. Presence of aspirin in blood units. Vox Sang. 1980;38(5):284–287. doi: 10.1111/j.1423-0410.1980.tb02368.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Sheiman D. J. Effects of televised drug commercials on children. Pediatrics. 1980 Mar;65(3):678–678. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Stein C. M., Gora N. P., Macheka B. M. Self-medication with chloroquine for malaria prophylaxis in urban and rural Zimbabweans. Trop Geogr Med. 1988 Jul;40(3):264–268. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Stewart R. B., Cluff L. E. Studies on the epidemiology of adverse drug reactions. VI. Utilization and interactions of prescription and nonprescription drugs in outpatients. Johns Hopkins Med J. 1971 Dec;129(6):319–331. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Taylor P. The malaria problem in Zimbabwe. Epidemiology. Cent Afr J Med. 1985 Sep;31(9):163–166. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Tomson G., Sterky G. Self-prescribing by way of pharmacies in three Asian developing countries. Lancet. 1986 Sep 13;2(8507):620–622. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(86)92438-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Verdier F., Ramanamirija J. A., Pussard E., Clavier F., Biaud J. M., Coulanges P., Le Bras J. Unreliability of Dill Glazko test in detecting chloroquine in urine. Lancet. 1985 Jun 1;1(8440):1282–1283. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(85)92358-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Wade D. N. The background pattern of drug usage in Australia. Clin Pharmacol Ther. 1976 May;19(5 Pt 2):651–656. doi: 10.1002/cpt1976195part2651. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology are provided here courtesy of British Pharmacological Society

RESOURCES