Assessment of analgesic usage among the patients in Bingham University Teaching Hospital

Abstract

Background: Analgesics are the most commonly used drugs not only to relief of pain and fever but also for their anti-inflammatory effect. Inappropriate use of these drugs had led to increased risk of unwanted effects such as adverse drug reactions. Aim: This study was conducted to evaluate the attitudes of patients to analgesic usage in a tertiary hospital in Northern part of Nigeria. Method: Male and female patients attending the out-patient clinic were assessed using a structured questionnaire on the pattern of analgesic usage. Results: Out of the 97participants, 71.1% were female. About forty seven percent (47.1%) of the respondents reported to have used analgesic to treat headache. Acetaminophen was the most used analgesic among the (75.5%) respondents. Majority of the patients (79.1%) were on self-medication. Half of the respondents administered acetaminophen three times a day. Some of the respondent (47.4%) who were traders, drivers, tailors, hairdressers, and construction workers used acetaminophen for three days. Conclusion: There is need for continue analgesic education programme for the patients. This will go a long way to reduce unnecessary analgesic usage and the possible side effects.