Self-medication in the students from Neiva Campus of the Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia

Self-medication is a dangerous practice with consequences including masking of disease, adverse reactions to medications, drug interaction, resistance to certain types of therapeutic agents and drug dependence. The World Health Organization has considered the possibility of educating population in practices of responsible self-medication, pointing at the pharmacist as a key figure in this educational process. In the present work we have analyzed the self-medication conducts of 600 surveyed college students of the Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia Sede Neiva (UCC). The overall results of the survey have been analyzed; we have also divided the surveyed population in subgroups of: a) Academic program and b) Sociodemographic variables. Results indicate that self-medication is a common practice among college students of UCC, and that it is not always practiced according to WHO recommendations for responsible, safe self-medication.