Self-medication with ophthalmic drugs and its associated factors among ophthalmic patients attending three hospitals in Asmara, Eritrea: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence and practice of self-medication and its associated factors among ophthalmic patients. DESIGN: An analytical cross-sectional study design was employed. SETTING: Three hospitals inAsmara, Eritrea. PARTICIPANTS: Samples of ophthalmic outpatients aged >18 years who visited the three hospitals in Asmara, Eritrea. Systematic random sampling was used to select the study participants. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Data were collected from September 2021 to October 2021 in a face-to-face interview using a structured questionnaire. The collected data were double entered and analysed using CSPro (V.7.2) and SPSS (V.26), respectively. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were performed. P values less than 0.05 were considered as significant. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Main outcome variable was practice of self-medication with ophthalmic drugs (SMOD). Secondary outcome measure was the determinants of self-medication practice. RESULTS: A total of 351 participants were recruited with a response rate of 97.7%. The prevalence of SMOD was found to be 14.9% (95% CI (11.1% to 18.7%)). The most frequently preferred ophthalmic drug groups were antibiotics (63.6%), followed by corticosteroids (22.7%). The main reasons for SMOD were easy accessibility (52.9%) and previous familiarity of the eye medication (27.5%). Eye redness (n=19/51) and foreign body sensation (n=18/51) were the most self-recognised complaints that required self-medication. The most common source of information for SMOD was pharmacy professionals (41.1%). Only attitude score (Crude odds ratio (COR)= 1.25, 95% CI 1.12, 1.39) was significantly associated with the practice of SMOD at bivariate logistic regression. CONCLUSION: Though the majority of respondents considered self-medication with ophthalmic drugs as inappropriate, a significant number of them practising it. This mandates relevant bodies to take stricter measures to protect the public from the misuse of eye medications.