Abstract:

Healthcare workers are more likely to self-medicate due to their extensive knowledge and experience with different medical problems and medications. This study aimed to ascertain the prevalence of self-medication and its associated characteristics among healthcare practitioners. One hundred eighty-nine healthcare personnel were selected for this cross-sectional study via random sampling at two hospitals in Walvis Bay, Namibia. Data collection used a researcher-designed questionnaire on self-medication. The gathered data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics in SPSS 25 software, namely the Chi-square test and Fisher’s exact test. The prevalence of self-medication among healthcare professionals was 89.98%. Out of the 189 participants, 73.01% were female. Most of them were at least 26 years old (68.3%), unmarried (75.13%), held a bachelor’s degree (93.65%) primarily in nursing (49.74%), resided at a considerable distance from a health institution (71.96%), possessed medical insurance (87.3%), and had a monthly income over NAD 20,000 (95.1%). The most prevalent conditions leading to self-medication were the common cold (86.4%), headache (84.7%), and gastrointestinal problems (39.7%). There was no significant difference in self-medication rates across gender, marital status, age, educational level, health insurance, or proximity to a health facility. However, there was a significant difference in self-medication rates between participants earning more than NAD 20000 monthly (95.1%) and those earning less than NAD 20000 monthly (83.7%). Self-medication is common among healthcare professionals in Walvis Bay. It is imperative to actively address the adverse consequences of this practice with them through education, awareness campaigns, and policy changes.

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