摘要：Background: Self-medications is widely practiced in both developed and developing countries. Inappropriate self-medication results in increases resistance of pathogens, wastage of resources, and serious health hazards. Objectives: Present study was conducted to determine the prevalence, pattern and factors associated with self-medication among general population of an urban area of Sothern Rajasthan. Materials and Methods: A cross sectional community based study was conducted among general population in urban field practice area of Department of community medicine, RNT Medical College, Udaipur, Rajasthan from May 2015 to August 2015. Individuals aged 18 years and above were included as study participants using Simple random method of sampling. Results: Out of total 440 study participants, 324 (73.6%) had used self-medication within last three months recall period. The practice of self-medication was more common among younger age groups, male gender and higher levels of education. Paracetamol (73.77%) and other analgesics (41.98%) were most commonly used drugs. Most common symptoms warranting self-medication were fever (75.31%) and headache (62.04%). Conclusion: Rising prevalence of self-medication is a matter of serious concern. IEC activities should be strengthened among general population to minimize the practice of self-medication.
