Self-Medication Practices among Community of Harar City and Its Surroundings, Eastern Ethiopia

Table 2

Self-medication practice among participants in Harar City and its surroundings from March to April, 2017(n=370).

Variables	Responses	Frequency	Percentage (%)
Major chief complaints
	Headache	112	30.3
	Respiratory disorders	109	29.5
	Gastrointestinal disorders	100	27.0
	Fever	26	7.0
	Skin disorders	23	6.2
Reason for self-medication
	Less expensive	76	20.5
	Prior experience of drug or disease	214	57.8
	Disease is not serious	49	13.2
	Emergency care	30	8.1
	Others	1	0.3
Sources of information
	Pharmacist	149	40.3
	No information	118	31.9
	Advised by neighbors, friends, or relatives	70	18.9
	Labels and leaflets or promotional materials	30	8.1
	Others∧	3	0.8
Medications used
	Analgesic / antipyretics	156	42.2
	Respiratory drugs	115	31.1
	GI drugs	72	19.5
	Oral rehydration salt	2	0.5
	Antimicrobials	11	3.0
	Others	14	3.8
Adverse drug reaction
	Yes	44	11.9
	No	326	88.1

indicates less waiting time; ∧ indicates other professionals, past experiences; indicates vitamins and anthelmintics.