REVIEW ARTICLE: A Review on the Health Impact of Self-medication for Malaria on Port Harcourt Residents

West Afr J Med. 2023 October; 40 (10): 1118-1130 PMID: 37906965

Abstract

Self-medication is a widespread public health issue that has continued to grow without ever reaching a level, both in wealthy and underdeveloped countries. Residents of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, have faced danger to their health from malaria, and because they have limited access to healthcare, the majority of them turn to self-medication to treat the disease. The study's goal was to ascertain how well-informed Port Harcourt citizens were of the negative effects of self-medication for malaria on their health. Self-medication was a common practice among the research population. However, their understanding of how self-medication for malaria affects health is not particularly strong. The findings and explanations show that this is reflected in their attitude and behavior regarding self-medicating behaviors. The vast majority of people think they can treat their cases of malaria by using symptoms, prior experiences, and a suitable diagnostic laboratory test to confirm the disease. The two biggest causes of self-medication were low income and a lack of health insurance, while other minor factors included a lack of healthcare facilities, high medicine prices, an inability to pay for medical bills, being near a hospital, and having a negative attitude towards physicians. The findings show that self-medication is continuing to rise and that it will continue to have an influence on malaria prevention and treatment in the study region unless the government and other people in positions of authority do something about it.