Background: Parental self-medication is the use of drugs in pediatrics without prescription, regardless of the childs age, dosage, or route of administration. Our aim in this study is to determine parental self-medication prevalence, attitude, and contributing factors in Al Ahsa, Saudi Arabia.
Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Al Ahsa, Saudi Arabia, during June 2020. A total of 1364 cases were collected using an online questionnaire tool. Data were analyzed using SPSS software.
Results: Among the total of 1364 parents who participated in this study, 79.20% were mothers. The prevalence of parental self-medication was 71.3%. Antipyretic drugs were the most commonly used by parents as self-medication to treat fever (95.5%). Previous experiences were the main sources of information for parents.
Conclusions: There is a high prevalence of parental self-medication among children in Al Ahsa, Saudi Arabia. We recommend large educational programs for parents regarding the risk of this practice.
Key words: Keywords: Self-Medication, Parental self medication, Children, Attitude, Awareness, Saudi Arabia
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