فهرست نشریات علمی دسترسی آزاد ایران

BACKGROUND: Many countries are implementing measures for social distancing to contain thespread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‑19) pandemic. The Indian government also issuedan order for complete lockdown of the country, with all the nonessential services, including most ofthe services for nonemergency health issues, being temporarily suspended.OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to understand the effect of pandemic lockdown on medicaladvice‑seeking behavior and the medication practices of the non‑COVID Indian patientsconfined to homes, who would have normally visited the outpatient departments (OPDs) for medicaladvice.MATERIALS AND METHODS: It was a questionnaire‑based, cross‑sectional study conducted onlineduring the lockdown period. The questions dealt with medical advice‑related practices, self‑medication,the sources of medical advice, and the need to visit emergency department. Evaluation of data wasdone as for descriptive studies.RESULTS: A total of 106 people (34%) out of the 312 participants had either old or new healthproblems. Ninety‑six of such people (90.5%) tried to manage their sufferings by either continuingthe drugs prescribed earlier or by making phone calls to doctors along with taking the help of homeremedies, if needed. Ten (9.5%) of the symptomatic participants did not consult any doctor waitingfor natural course of relief. None of the participants practiced self‑medication of modern medicinetherapy. Only one participant (of the total 312) took hydroxychloroquine as self‑medication for assumedprophylactic therapy against the COVID‑19 infection.CONCLUSION: Most of the people with medical conditions, confined at home due to nationallockdown, are coping with their problems without any irrational self‑medication with modern medicinesor any misuse of prophylactic therapy against the COVID infection. This seemingly positive trend mayalso have been due to the strict enforcement of the lockdown rules by the law enforcement agencies.