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<p>The study aims to evaluate the most common reasons for over the counter (OTC) medications for ear, nose, and throat (ENT) issues, investigating the reasons for consumers' choices and assessing the effectiveness of these medications on symptoms. The research will analyse if the use of these OTC drugs leads to symptom improvement or deterioration, ultimately seeking to enhance understanding of consumer behaviour in managing ENT complaints and the effectiveness of available treatments. This is a cross-sectional study with its target population as patients and visitors of a tertiary care centre and its health centres. A total of 400 participants took part in the study and the required data was collected and analysed with Excel and SPSS v.26. The prevalence of self-medication with OTC drugs were 76% among the participants. Though the preference for self-medication was only 54.5%. There was an association between daily wage workers and lesser OTC medicine use (<i>p</i>-value &lt; 0.001). Participants more commonly self-medicated for ENT conditions/ complaints like cold (54.6%), Cough (18.1%), Ear pain (12.8%) and throat symptoms (10.2%). Of those who self-medicated with OTC drugs (n = 304), only 77% improved but around 5% of them worsened or had recurrence of symptoms. A total of 27.6% of the participants who used OTC medicines had come to hospital for further evaluation due to failed treatment. Some less common and severe conditions could have been prevented from worsening or treated earlier with proper medicines with timely consultation. This study analysed the patterns of over the counter (OTC) medication use and the associated health outcomes among users. Most participants used OTC medications prior to seeking medical advice, even though some of them didn’t prefer OTCs as their first option, indicating that factors such as accessibility and symptom severity influence their choices. The study reveals the major reason for OTC use include personal confidence in managing mild ailments and easy access to medicines OTC. The findings highlight the possibility of antimicrobial resistance due to incorrected dosage and duration of medicines and worsening health conditions among less common ENT disorders that may benefit well from early diagnosis and proper intervention for better treatment outcomes.</p>

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The Outcomes of Over the Counter Self-medications Usage for Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) Ailments in Chengalpattu, A Cross-sectional Study

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年6月16日

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  • S. Krishna Keertan,
  • R. B. Namasivaya Navin,
  • S. Prabakaran,
  • S. Rajasekaran,
  • R. Muthukumar,
  • D. Balaji,
  • K. Gowthame,
  • B. Sarath Kumar

摘要

The study aims to evaluate the most common reasons for over the counter (OTC) medications for ear, nose, and throat (ENT) issues, investigating the reasons for consumers' choices and assessing the effectiveness of these medications on symptoms. The research will analyse if the use of these OTC drugs leads to symptom improvement or deterioration, ultimately seeking to enhance understanding of consumer behaviour in managing ENT complaints and the effectiveness of available treatments. This is a cross-sectional study with its target population as patients and visitors of a tertiary care centre and its health centres. A total of 400 participants took part in the study and the required data was collected and analysed with Excel and SPSS v.26. The prevalence of self-medication with OTC drugs were 76% among the participants. Though the preference for self-medication was only 54.5%. There was an association between daily wage workers and lesser OTC medicine use (p-value < 0.001). Participants more commonly self-medicated for ENT conditions/ complaints like cold (54.6%), Cough (18.1%), Ear pain (12.8%) and throat symptoms (10.2%). Of those who self-medicated with OTC drugs (n = 304), only 77% improved but around 5% of them worsened or had recurrence of symptoms. A total of 27.6% of the participants who used OTC medicines had come to hospital for further evaluation due to failed treatment. Some less common and severe conditions could have been prevented from worsening or treated earlier with proper medicines with timely consultation. This study analysed the patterns of over the counter (OTC) medication use and the associated health outcomes among users. Most participants used OTC medications prior to seeking medical advice, even though some of them didn’t prefer OTCs as their first option, indicating that factors such as accessibility and symptom severity influence their choices. The study reveals the major reason for OTC use include personal confidence in managing mild ailments and easy access to medicines OTC. The findings highlight the possibility of antimicrobial resistance due to incorrected dosage and duration of medicines and worsening health conditions among less common ENT disorders that may benefit well from early diagnosis and proper intervention for better treatment outcomes.