OBJECTIVE

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To investigate the current status of self-medication behaviors and the demand preferences for pharmaceutical services among residents in Xining， providing a basis for developing pharmaceutical service intervention strategies tailored to regional characteristics.

METHODS

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A self-designed questionnaire， developed based on literature review and revised after expert panel discussion and a pre-survey， was used to conduct anonymous surveys among residents purchasing medicines at 12 retail pharmacies in Xining area from April 2023 to April 2024. Descriptive analysis， Chi-square test， and Spearman correlation analysis were employed to analyze the characteristics and influencing factors of residents’ self-medication behaviors， and pharmaceutical service needs.

RESULTS

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A total of 859 valid questionnaires were collected， with 605 respondents （70.43%） reporting self-medication behaviors. The primary reason for self-medication was mild symptoms （46.94%）. The main conditions treated were gastrointestinal discomfort （38.51%） and cold， fever， headache （35.37%）. Chinese patent medicines were the most commonly used （58.68%）. Drug selection relied mainly on recommendations by pharmacy staff （52.07%）， and retail pharmacies were the primary source of medicines （65.95%）. Dosage and administration were determined primarily by referring to the drug package insert （67.27%）， while a minority relied on personal experience （9.92%）. Notably， 20.33% of respondents never read the package insert before medication， with a higher tendency observed among ethnic minorities， farmers， and individuals with chronic diseases （

P

＜0.05）. While 65.29% of respondents reported partially understandi

ng the insert content， those aged ≥60 years， ethnic minorities， and individuals with chronic diseases were more likely to report being completely unable to understand it （

P

＜0.05）. Self-medication was “often effective” for 52.73% of respondents， whereas 7.77% “often experienced adverse drug reactions”； farmers were more prone to poor efficacy or adverse reactions （

P

＜0.05）. A majority （72.89%） of respondents residents believed it necessary to learn about self-medication knowledge， and 47.11% preferred to obtain pharmaceutical services through WeChat public accounts or mobile applications （APP）.

CONCLUSIONS

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Self-medication is common among residents in Xining area. Issues such as neglecting to read package inserts and relying on personal experience are evident. It is essential to develop science popularization programs suitable for the characteristics of the local population and utilize digital platforms like WeChat public accounts and APP to disseminate self-medication knowledge， thereby enhancing residents’ awareness and capacity for rational medication use.