Practices of self-medicationamong caregivers with children under five years in western Kenya

Background: Self-medication is popularly practiced worldwide, especially on fever and some chronic conditions. However, deaths and adverse effects have been reported due to poor practices. In malaria endemic areas, caregivers with children under five years practice self-medication however, the practice is poorly understood. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out on 201 caregivers with children under five years and 10 health care workers at Kabondo-Kasipul Sub-County Hospital in Homa-bay County, Kenya. The study determined the practices and promoters of self-medication on children under five years. The data were collected using key informant guide and semi-structured questionnaires. Results: Majority of caregivers (98%) practice self-medication and most of them use pain killers (41%) followed by antimalarial and antibiotics at 4% each. About 52% of caregivers use a combination of two or more drugs and most of these drugs (52%) are from the local shop. The study shows that lack of a service or drug, dissatisfaction with services, more waiting hours and hostility of the care workers at the health facilities are potential promoters of self-medication among caregivers. Conclusion: Self-medication is popular among the caregivers and combination of two or more drugs a common practice and the promoters of self-medication are practices at the health facilities. The study therefore recommends health education on self-medication to caregivers and also improvement of service delivery at the health facilities in order to reduce self-medication or prevent potential problems associated with self-medication with anti-malaria and antibiotics.