The Innovations in Pharmaceutical Sciences & Care (IPSC) aims to foster advanced research and innovation in pharmaceutical sciences, drug development, and patient-centered pharmacy practice. The journal promotes scholarly work on novel therapeutics, formulation science, pharmacology, clinical pharmacy, and emerging pharmaceutical technologies. It encourages evidence-based studies that enhance medication safety, therapeutic effectiveness, and personalized patient care. IPSC serves as an interdisciplinary platform for researchers, clinicians, and healthcare professionals to contribute knowledge that advances global pharmaceutical science and improves healthcare outcomes.
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Background: Antibiotic self-medication in Nigeria is a significant public health issue and one of the primary causes of antimicrobial resistance. Although there has been growing awareness of the proper use of antibiotics, self-medication practices are still prevalent among adults. Purpose: This study aimed to examine antibiotic self-medication practices and to evaluate the relationships between knowledge and awareness, attitudes and risk perception, and socio-structural enabling factors influencing antibiotic selfmedication among adults in Nigeria. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted, including 386 adults aged 18 years and above in a suburban community in Ekiti State, Nigeria, between March and May 2024. The study utilized a structured questionnaire with five sections: Section A consisted of demographics, Section B, C, D, and E consisted of questions related to self-medication practices, awareness regarding antibiotic usage and antimicrobial resistance, enabling factors of antibiotic self-medication, and attitudes towards self-medication practice, respectively. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression were applied. The p-value was set to less than 0.05. Results: The self-medication of antibiotics was found to be very high, with 71.0% indicating self-medication without a prescription. Fifty-nine point eight percent reported the use of leftover antibiotics, and 69.2% reported the use of antibiotics when presented with the symptoms of a possible viral infection. The level of knowledge was high, as 81.3% knew that antibiotics do not work in the treatment of viral diseases and 84.5% knew that they contribute to antimicrobial resistance. There were strong positive correlations between self-medication practices and attitudes (r = 0.990), knowledge and awareness (r = 0.961), and enabling factors (r = 0.985), all p < 0.001. These variables were found to explain 99.2% of the variance of self-medication behavior (R-squared = 0.992). Conclusion: Antibiotic self-medication among Nigerians is high despite high awareness. The current knowledge is not sufficient since behavioral attitudes and structural barriers prevail, which require rigorous behavioral interventions and enhanced regulatory implementation
Antibiotic Self-Medication; Antimicrobial Resistance; Health Knowledge Attitudes Practice; Drug Misuse; Patient Behavior