Reported self-medication use in children in private and public health facilities in Rwanda. A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: Self-medication, a worldwide practice has both benefits and risks. Many countries have regulated non-prescription medications available for use in self-medication; however, in countries such as Rwanda, where prescriptions are not required to purchase medications, the prescription-only, the non-prescription and traditional medications have been used for selfmedication. Objectives: The study aimed to determine the reported self-medication use in children in Private and Public Health Facilities in Rwanda,also to determine the factors associated with the parental decision to self-medicate their children and to identify common drugs used and source of information/advice in self-medication. Methods: This was a cross-sectional multi-center questionnaire-based quantitative study of 154 parents of children under ten years. Results: The use of self-medication by parents for their children under ten years of age was reported to be 77.9%. Among these parents, 50.8% used western medications only, 15.8% used traditional medications only, and 33.3% used both. Paracetamol was the most commonly used western medication; the traditional drugs used were Rwandan local medicines. Parents who used western medications had slightly more confidence in self-medication than traditional medicines users (p=0.005). Western medication users reported having barriers to consultation more frequently than traditional drugs users (p=0.028). Having more than one child below age ten was associated with self-medication use (OR=4.74, CI: 1.94-11.58, p=0.001). Age greater than 30 and living in Kigali were also predictors of the use of western medication versus traditional medication. Conclusion: Self-medication is common in Rwanda. Parents are involved in this practice regardless of their socio-demographic background. Consideration should be given to regulating drugs used in self medicationas as well as the education of the population with the goal of minimizing the risks of self-medication and maximizing benefits.