Example of Research Proposal: Impact of Drug Exposure on Self-Medication Among Healthcare Professionals

This is an Example of Research Proposal that examines the impact of drug exposure on self-medication practices among healthcare professionals. Designed to provide valuable insights, this example will help research students understand how to structure and present a well-crafted proposal. By reviewing this work, students can learn how to develop strong research objectives, justify their methodology, and create a compelling case for their study.

Research Proposal Topic: Impact of Drug Exposure on Self-Medication Among Healthcare Professionals

Abstract

The study will focused on the area of self-medication that is mostly prevalent among various base level healthcare associates. It would have the aim of evaluating the significance of medicine related knowledge and drug exposure upon self-medication strategy. This chapter would be focused to highlight the key issues of self-medication along with the impact of knowledge treatment on this particular matter. The conventional practice of self-medication in various stages of life among people will be highlighted. The negative impact and necessity of supervised medication will also be explained through the theory of Khantzian. In this research suitable methods would be selected to justify the intention of the paper. Interpretivism philosophy, inductive approach and exploratory design will be selected in this research to collect data and interpret. Secondary qualitative data sources will be suitable for this research where thematic analysis can interpret the identified patterns. Multiple articles will be reviewed and identified the findings of those articles. SM will be found as one of the most emerging concepts in the field of medical science. There will be several issues found in the SM which can disrupt the health of an individual. Positive impacts will also be found of self-medication in mitigating minor health issues from human health.

Also Read Research Proposal Sample on Impact of Remote Learning on Education During Covid-19

Study Flow Chart

Above picture showcases the overall planning of the researcher that will be followed during the conduction of this research. Following this plan will help the researcher in getting a desired result from the research nd also will help the researcher in completing the research in time.

1. Background of the study

Self-medication is a traditional way of applying medicine to treat oneself from any disease by the person itself, and in most cases, it is done without communicating to the professional physician. Based on own initiative, consumption of drugs, herbs or different home remedial solutions fall within the category of self-medication. Sometimes, self-medication is conducted as per the advice of another person. It is a common trend among healthcare professionals to apply this technique and the study is focused on evaluating the importance of various factors in the process.

Self-medication is a common process among healthcare professionals through which they focus on resolving the health issues that they can recognise by themselves based on the symptoms. Obtaining medications without a proper prescription, consumption of medicines based on the advice of Pharmacists, a friend or a relative, who does not have any medical degree, fall within the category of self-medication (Tesfamariamet al. 2019). Moreover, sometimes it is seen that the healthcare professionals, despite not being a medical practitioner, prescribes medicine to family members and friends from the left-over medicine storage at home in an informal manner. Both of these are elements of self-medication and self-medication strategy is a suitable one for treating base level illnesses.

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Self-medication is the process of taking medicines without the concern of any physician and is considered a primary healthcare process. Rapid growth in self-medication is identified in the past few decades which enhances the number of research in this field. Doomra and Goyal (2020) identify the rapid use of non-steroidal medicines by patients in terms of getting relief from pain or other related primary health issues. OTC is one of the most important parts of the self-medication practice as it plays a vital role in the process of self-medication in the present day. Pain is the most common symptom identified by Doomra and Goyal (2020) for which patients seek OTC medicines. Rapid growth in the process of self-medication indicates the effectiveness of the understanding of the use of specific drugs for a particular health issue.

Exposure to the wrong drugs can cause a critical health condition and for that reason, this study will focus on the identification of the importance of knowledge of treatment, especially in the field of self-medication practices among healthcare professionals. Alrabiah et al. (2023) mentioned in their study that exposure to medical settings is considered a factor which enhances the understanding of the use of drugs among healthcare professionals. There are several negative impacts of self-medication practices and can cause health-related issues in future. Despite the support of WHO on self-medication practices, the negative impacts of unrecognised drugs restricted self-medication practices. Multidrug resistance is a critical health problem that can occur due to the consumption of multiple drugs which are not prescribed.

Self-medication has been practised for multiple generations, especially among healthcare professionals. Previous research on this concept showcases the increasing accessibility to OTC drugs for effective use of these drugs in these practices. According to Onchonga etal. (2020), the availability of multiple types of drugs, easy access to the drugs and substitutes of drugs in the market are the factors which enhance the rate of self-medication. The effectiveness of self- medication in empowering individual self-awareness is also identified as a reason behind the growth of these practices in the medical field. However, a proper understanding of the drugs used in the practice is important for preventing the negative impacts of the practices on individual health. Self-medication practices are triggered in areas which are less feasible in the medical services and where the human resources for health are constrained.

Exposure to Covid-19 affected patients during the pandemic outbreak helps show the importance of understanding the proper treatment procedure and self-medication practices among healthcare professionals. Okoye et al. (2022) mentioned in their study that rapid and direct starting of the treatment procedure according to the symptoms of the patients is one of the most effective outcomes of the proper understanding of SM practices. The benefits of SM practices in the healthcare profession help multiple patients in getting treated in time in the time of the pandemic outbreak. However, most HCP promotes the negative impacts of self-medication among the patients which also indicates the appropriateness of knowledge of SM practices.

Minor illnesses among patients can be treated with the help of effective SM practices which is considered one of the most effective outcomes of SM practices. Treating minor illnesses resulted in the reduction of patients in the healthcare sector which is also considered an important outcome of SM practices as it enhances the quality of treatment procedures in the healthcare sector. Mohammed et al. (2021) mentioned in a study that the type of SM and the effectiveness of these practices can vary from region to region. Several authors have also identified the factors according to the types of SM in different countries.

2. Rationale

Self-medication practice rate is high among the students pursuing any curriculum related to professional healthcare. The most significant fact regarding such practice by healthcare professionals is that they have significant knowledge regarding the consequences that can occur due to potential risks. The main reason behind self-medication practice being prevalent among the healthcare students is that medicines and drugs are easily available for them (Kilic, 2021). Moreover, the students possess professional knowledge regarding the drugs and their impacts upon health. On the other hand, media and advertisement-based exposure to medicines and drugs act as main reasons behind the non-prescription drug consumption.

 Increasing SM practices among healthcare professionals all around the world are considered a productive reason behind rapidly growing intentions in researching this particular research among scholars. According to Mikulic (2022), 2.87 billion US dollars accounted for the annual sale of OTC drugs in Great Britain. The Figure also indicates the other drug’s revenue generation which indicates the effectiveness of SM practices in the country. The rapid growth in SM practices has both positive and negative impacts on human beings which encourage scholarly interest in researching this concept.

Prevention of minor health issues plays a vital role in increasing the availability of potential treatment, especially in the time of the pandemic outbreak. According to Quincho-Lopez et al. (2021), self-treatment of symptoms of Covid-19 infections helps the healthcare personnel in keeping focusing on the main treatment process which resulted in the proper care provided during the pandemic. There are other benefits too which are also considered as a reason behind researching this topic. Identifying the role of knowledge in SM practices, especially among healthcare personnel will enhance the outcome of this research in a more significant course of action. Restricting the minor health issue having patients in admitting in the hospitals helps in providing needy patients care during the pandemic outbreak.

Despite the benefits of SM practices, the implications of these practices also attract several researchers in generating studies on these topics. Elden etal. (2020) mentioned in their study that increasing health-related issues due to the rapid use of OTC drugs can increase the fatality rate in a particular region. Therefore, it can be stated that understanding the use of OTC drugs in SM practices is important for preventing critical health issues. Knowledge about the mechanism of the medicine for self-treatment is also an important aspect in terms of preventing the negative consequences of overdosing on drugs. The prevalence of drugs in the SM process will be one of the most important aspects of this research.

Several studies have identified that SM practices vary from country to country. The availability of multiple types of SM practices is also considered a productive reason behind increasing scholarly interest in researching this topic of the research. According to Fekadu et al. (2020), the nature of the healthcare services provided in a particular region can be considered as a reason behind the SM practices followed in that region. Identification of the factors especially which encourage SM practices among healthcare personnel will be another perspective of this research. Recognising these factors can change the dynamics of healthcare services provided in some areas.

Gaining knowledge about the use of proper drugs in a particular type of disease plays an important role in the Self-medication process as it allows an individual to prevent health-related issues due to wrong treatment. Zhang etal.(2021) mentioned in their study that antimicrobial resistance due to the rapid use of OTC drugs is becoming a threat to human beings in the present day. Increasing this health complication can occur due to a lack of understanding about the proper use of drugs in SM practices. Other complications can be obtained from SM practices. Investigating those complications is also considered a productive reason behind assessing this research in a systematic course of action. Identification of those factors will enhance the quality of this research in a significant course of action.

3. Theoretical underpinning

Khantzian’s Self-Medication Theory

“Edward Khantzian” was a renowned professor of psychiatry who developed a theory about self- medication in 1999. As per his concept of self-medication, it can be observed that psychoactive drugs can soothe mental turbulence and distress. It also suggests that different types of disturbances in the body can occur due to the negative impact of drug usage (Alfonso, 2021). It is not uncommon for chemical compounds present in medicine to react in various ways that can be difficult to control. As per Khantzian’s observation people who have a tendency to use opioids are unable to control their aggressive behavior that is similar in nature in terms of overuse of alcohol. Similar types of brain receptors get influenced due to the overuse of these substances which clarifies the negative impact of self-medication.

4. Research Questions/Aim

4.1. Research Aim

The research study has the main aim to discuss the aftermath of treatment knowledge and drug related exposure among the self-medication practices conducted by the healthcare professionals.

4.2.Research Objectives

The objectives of the study are:

1. To evaluate the self-medication practices and its impacts
2. To discuss the aftermath of knowledge related to treatment in self-medication practices
3. To discuss the repercussions of drug exposure in self-medication practices To discuss the consequences of wrong self-medication

4.3. Research Questions

The ideal question on which the entire study is based can be denoted through the evaluation process of self-medication and the impact of unsupervised approaches to self-medication.The questions that the study focuses to answer are:

1. What are self-medication practices?
2. What are the impacts of self-medication practices?
3. How does treatment knowledge impact upon self-medication practices conducted by healthcare associates?
4. How does the exposure to drugs impact self-medication practices?
5. What kind of consequences can be seen as the impact of wrong self-medication?

5. Significance of the Study

This is an era where technology is getting induced gradually in every corner of each kind of industry present within the global marketplace. Its progress has impacted the healthcare sector in such a manner that the average age of the population around the globe is increasing. Enhancement of the number of people has enhanced the variety of diseases (Daroedonoet al. 2022). This has resulted in the tendency of showing unprofessional self-medicative approaches of healthcare professionals. The study would remain highly significant in progressing towards an end of self- medication in a gradual manner.

The present study will focus on investigating the impact of knowledge of treatment and use of drugs in particular diseases, especially in SM practices among healthcare professionals. Identification of the factors that enhance the understanding among the healthcare personnel will be helpful for newcomers in this field in gathering information that encourages the knowledge- enhancing process among them. This study will also represent the negative impacts of SM practices among common people which will help prevent the negative impacts of their practices from common people. Promoting the effectiveness of proper understanding of drugs will encourage future generations in gathering knowledge about drugs which will minimise minor health issues from all around the globe.

6. Outline of the structure

7. Literature Review

Healthcare professionals are an important part of society, they are liable for improving the lives of the people around them. These segments of society are trained and certified in a proper method that provides them with the license to help others regarding any type of medical issue. These types of knowledge about the treatment and medical procedure also instigate them to participate in self- treatment in case of medical issues without consulting other parties. This chapter will be focusing on the connection between the knowledge of drugs and self-treatment and its impact on the

7.1. Importance of drugs and knowledge of treatment:

Drugs or medicines play an important role in the process of survival. It is considered one of the most important creations of human life that can enhance the life span of any living being along with the human. Various medical aspects such as vaccines, surgery, antibiotics and different types of medical procedures are responsible for saving thousands of lives around the globe (Dominguez- Bello et al. 2019). Different types of surgery such as C-sections, brain surgery and other kinds of advanced procedures such as heart transplants and others have improved the living standard of society.

Following proper guidance and the use of appropriate medicines have helped society to resolve these issues along with mitigating the chances of occurring again. It is important for an individual to consult a doctor or general physician before taking any type of medicine. The need for medicines has been raised due to the severity of several health issues in society. Blood pressure, diabetes, infections, and body pain are some of the common health issues which require medical assistance for improvement (Barker-Davies et al. 2020). The prescribed dosage of certain medicines can cause harm to the body which makes it necessary to consult health professionals before ingesting medicines for curing health issues.

7.3. Evaluation of knowledge treatment in society:

Different types of treatment methods have been used by society to save themselves from harmful diseases and cure any kind of medical condition. Various types of medical treatment processes such as Hospice, Curative and Palliative treatment have been used by the medical practitioner to improve the lifespan of human life. Curative treatments are provided to those patients where significant improvement or cure can be achieved through certain medicines or surgery. The overall goal of these types of procedures is to cure the medical condition of a patient through proper

methods and drug usage. A patient who has gone through curative surgery needs to make some essential adjustments in his living style such as a change in the diet and daily routine (Graham- Wiseneret al. 2019). Nausea, vomiting, and a lack of appetite for food are some of the examples of side effects which can be observed in a patient who has undergone this type of treatment process.

Palliative care on the other hand focuses on improving the quality of life of a patient who has a life-threatening disease. Palliative service includes combined inputs of various health professionals such as a physiotherapist, dieticians, paramedics, nurses, volunteers and others (Who, 2020). As per the findings from the “World Health Organisation” website, the current percentage of patients who are currently under palliative care in the world is 14% which is low in terms of need. Admitting a patient at an earlier stage of a life-threatening disease can reduce the requirement for Curative care. Hospice care is another form of treatment which provides a patient with terminal illness mental support and improves the quality of his surroundings for the last few days of his life.

7.4. Correlation between knowledge treatment and self-medication:

The term self-medication portrays the practice of using medical substances or drugs without notifying or getting prescribed by the proper authority such as doctors or general physicians. Apart from that, overusing medicines for mitigating health issues found in the family members is also considered self-medication (Hashemzaeiet al. 2021). Different types of crisis situations and prolonged exposure to drugs and medical knowledge can instigate these types of issues to arise where self-medication can be observed. Due to the rise of the pandemic in 2020 many countries introduced certain medical and social guidelines that changed the lives of the people (Makowskaet al. 2020). These changes also affected the healthcare system in a negative way which causes situations such as drug shortages, and unrest among the people to arise. Due to social distancing and lack of proper medicine, self-medication behavior also arose. It isnecessary for health practitioners to seek advice from respected authorities in case of serious health issues.

7.5. Negative impact of self-medication in daily life:

Different forms of self-medication such as ingesting unprescribed medicine, or using drugs that are meant to be used for different purposes can lead to side effects such as nausea, vomiting or rashes or worse. Heavy usage of medicines which is not prescribed by doctors can cause certain

complications to arise in the form of health issues. Different types of physical disturbances such as drug resistance and the occurrence of prolonged diseases can arise that can degrade the physical condition of an individual (Hashemzaeietal. 2021). Taking antibiotics without consulting doctors or specialists can lead to resistance against antibiotics to form in the body that can be harmful during the time of need. Incorrect drug choice, incorrect therapy usage and other forms of harmful effects can occur due to medication without proper guidance.

Self-medication during the pandemic can be observed in various countries where different types of medicines were used by people without scientific guidance for respiratory or covid-19 symptom-related issues. Acetaminophen, Azithromycin, Penicillin, and Hydroxychloroquine along with different types of antiviral medicines were consumed relentlessly due to the rise of the pandemic (Quispe-Cañarietal. 2021). Different types of health issues occurred during this period due to excessive amounts of drugs used along with the shortage of these drugs. The people who require these drugs face difficulties in acquiring them due to shortages which leads to unrest among the people.

7.6. Importance of management and leadership in the process of self-medication:

Leadership plays a vital role in the health institutes which can mitigate the negative impact of self- medication. Proper initiatives from the upper management level of a health organization needs to make appropriate approaches which can help workers to learn about the important factors related to medicine usage. Guidance from the supervisors can help workers to understand the list of advantages and disadvantages in the process of self-medication (Ariyani and Hidayati, 2018). Proper supervision from the workplace leaders can help workers to understand both the positive and negative impact of self-medication. Continuous exposure to these types of informative interactions can reduce the number of undesired outcomes which can occur due to unethical self- medication processes.

7.7. Literature gap:

The literature gap is considered as the untapped area of information which in this case is the influence of knowledge in self-medication. Lack of existing information that can highlight the key issues of self-medication and the current practices of these methods among health professionals made it hard to proceed easily.

7.8. Conceptual framework:

7.9. Summary:

This chapter is based on highlighting the key issues of drug abuse which can occur due to brief knowledge of medical treatment and medicine usage among professionals. The role of medicines and medical practices in improving the lives of society has been explained thoroughly along with certain negative impacts. The theory of Khantzian has been discussed which also denotes that medicine usage should be done under proper observations. Otherwise, it can cause severe damage to health along with the society around the medicated person. Gathering proper knowledge about certain drugs is essential before consuming them which makes a job profile of a medical practitioner important. The overall objective of medicines can get influenced and changed due to the presence of malpractice in society which can lead to fatal outcomes and major physical complications.

8. Study Design/Methods

In this chapter the researcher intends to select suitable strategies and techniques that justify the data collection and analysis process to obtain suitable results at the end of completion. Research techniques refer to the philosophy, approach and design which supports the overall research aims and objectives. Data collection and analysis processes are also developed based on the previous techniques.

Research approach is a procedure that is used by a researcher to conduct a research study where the data is collected, analysed and used depending on the nature of the data. Research approach is significant for determining the way of conducting data collection and further analysis. Hence, selection of appropriate research approaches can elevate the quality of research papers. Research approaches are used as deductive and inductive approaches which suffice the need for quantitative and qualitative data within research practices. Deductive Approach is suitable for investigating the hypothesis of a research paper through observation and theory where the identified factors can be judged to confirm the hypothesis (Bergdahl etal. 2019). On the other hand, an inductive approach can investigate the premises and recognise the pattern to make a conclusion.

In the research, an inductive approach can be appropriate for analysing the data with a perception of testing different premises to see the reality of patterns. Unlike deductive methods, inductive approaches can develop factual analysis on the reality of the premises to develop specific assumptions which are justified. According to Skillman et al (2019), mixed approach within research may disrupt the philosophy of the researcher while interpreting the data. This research can increase the credibility of the researcher through the inclusion of an inductive approach in the data collection and analysis method where the theoretical foundation supports the assumptions.

Research philosophy is certain beliefs, thought processes and viewpoints of the research that influence the interpretation of the findings. Research philosophy is a key determinant of the outcomes of a research study because based on the researcher’s views specific discoveries are made from the obtained data (Abu-Alhaija, 2019). Establishment of strong knowledge within a research paper depend on the research philosophy. Positivism and Interpretivism are primarily used in research studies because these are extremely useful for data collection and interpretation. Both of these research psychologies investigate the relationship of individuals and the society. Positivism research philosophy believes that society develops human behaviour; hence the social patterns can justify the activities of individuals.

Contrary to this perception, interpretivism believes that an individual’s behaviour is not limited to social norms and the reality of behaviour is diverse. In this research in-depth data analysis is required that can make sense about self-medication practices among the healthcare professionals.

Interpretivism research philosophy is appropriate for this research study because it represents a critical need for observing the occurrences within a social boundary to develop a thorough analysis on the subject (Alharahsheh and Pius, 2020). Interpretivism research can execute in-depth analysis on the individual behaviour which facilitates self -medication practices. Interpretivism can bring out the reality of the subject in a simple manner to generalize the assumptions in a subjective manner.

Research design develops structure for the whole research study which is followed by the researcher to collect data, interpret and make conclusions based on the findings. Research design is extremely significant to determine the other method within the research premises. There are six different research designs that are used by researchers throughout the globe. Descriptive, exploratory, experimental, correlational, diagnostic and exploratory research design are commonly used research design by the researcher. Descriptive research design focuses on the research problem to find the reason and process of occurrences within research (Atmowardoyo, 2018). Exploratory research design focuses on the research questions to find the answer through observing the pattern of situations. Experimental research design tests the variables with manipulation to develop different social assumptions to justify human behavior.

Correlational research design supports statistical analysis by investigating the relation of variables. In Correlational research +1 value denotes positive relation and -1 represents negative relation and 0 represents no relation. Diagnostic research design aims to find the causes of different phenomena within a situation. Explanatory research design also focuses on the underlying causes of assurances and makes future assumptions (Toyon, 2021). However, in this research meeting the research question is essential for in-depth analysis on the subject area. Hence, exploratory research design is suitable for this research study to interpret the occurrences with suitable facts.

9. Study Settings

This section will mainly focus at the place in which the researcher will conduct the research. The information will be collected in this research for maintain the location of global aspect. This section of the study will enhance the significance of the study by involving the information used in the process of research. By switching the research into global aspect, this research will signify the objectives accounted in this research. The outcome of the research will depend on this section of the study as the representation of information gathered in the study will be enhanced by the selection of proper research settings.

10. Method for data-collection

Data collection is the vital stage of a research study where the sources of information decide the quality of the research. Each researcher desires for high-quality research where the intention is to include suitable information that explain the reliability of the whole research. Primary data collection and secondary data collection options are variable for the researchers to perform further analysis. According to Ponchio et al.(2021), Primary data collection methods facilitate inclusion of current information through surveys. On the other hand, secondary data collection includes exploring the existing sources of information such as journals, articles, case studies, healthcare reports and government reports. Considering the selection of methods and strategies within this research area, a secondary data source is selected because it provides existing information on the subject area to conduct in-depth analysis. Secondary data sources can include qualitative information to answer the research question with better accessibility to existing information from Google scholar and reliable websites.

The gathering of information in this study will be an essential aspect in terms of getting the desired result from the research. Information can be categorised into two major parts including primary and secondary information. Secondary information can be collected from readily available sources including journals, articles, and relevant databases. Both primary and secondary data can be divided into two parts including qualitative and quantitative data. Quantitative data is numerical information and qualitative data is non-numerical information. The researcher will collect secondary qualitative data in this research as it will allow the researcher to provide the information in a descriptive style. Descriptive characteristics of secondary qualitative data is considered as one of the main reasons behind using especially in this particular research. This type of data emphasizes the in-depth analysis of the variables which can enhance the quality of the research in a significant course of action.

11. Method for data analysis

Data analysis method determines the efficacy of the researcher’s assumptions which justify the objectives of the research paper. Commonly data analysis is done using survey based statistical analysis method or thematic analysis based on the observation of certain patterns within a dataset. According to Mishra et al. (2019), Statistical analysis is relevant for quantitative research study. Hence there is no use of statistical analysis. Therefore, the thematic analysis method is appropriate for this research paper. Identification of specific themes from the secondary sources can interpret the collected data properly that can meet the research question and objectives.

Analysis of collected data is one of the most important aspects in terms of getting success in conducting research. As previously mentioned, this researcher will collect secondary qualitative data, there are two types of analysis methods for this type of data including systematic review and thematic analysis. The researcher will analyse collected data in this research through the following thematic analysis process. This type will help the researcher in conducting the theme and collecting data according to the objective of the research. Explaining the ability of the variables in this analysis is also a reason behind selecting the specific data analysis process in this research.

12. Ethical regulatory compliances

A researcher needs to focus on proper guidelines and ethical standards which is essential for mitigating future issues that are related to legal complications. Sources which have been used in this study have been properly cited. Apart from that authentic sources have been used which can help researchers to enhance the quality of this paper. All the information gathered during the data collection process has been illustrated in its true form. No modification or exaggeration has been made throughout the entire period of this research paper which can influence the potential outcome (Fehr et al. 2019). Proper instructions and measurements have been undertaken during the construction stage of this study. These types of measurements have been useful for the researcher and have proven to be beneficial during the study for fulfilling the goals of this research paper in a proper way.

13. Reliability and validity

The term “reliability” denotes the degree of dependency which can be identified through the usefulness of selected methods. The measurements and number of techniques which have been used in this study have proper reasons behind their selection. The overall justification of the selected procedures has been illustrated which can help readers to understand the true aspect of the selected methods. The procedures which have been followed during this study have been chosen wisely and can generate similar results when applied to similar kinds of topics (Rose and Johnson, 2020). This makes the study a reliable source of information which can be used by future researchers and health institutes for their purposes.

The Validity of the research can also be portrayed through the use of proper methods which have been portrayed in this context. The methods have been chosen based on the circumstantial needs which are aligned with the topic of this study. The findings which have been gathered during this process represent actual data which can denote its overall validity in the field of research.

14. Dissemination Policy

Limitations are the areas that can act as an obstacle to the construction of a research paper. The lack of statistical data in the explored literature made it tough for the researcher to provide numerical values that could have enhanced the quality of this study. Although the use of secondary sources is beneficial in terms of information gathering, the lack of numerical and scientific data can still be observed.

The overall objective of this chapter is to portray the essential methods which have been selected in this study. Proper techniques have been chosen and the reason behind their selection is also mentioned for the overall clarification of the potential issues. This chapter can be useful for both readers and researchers for different purposes. Readers can identify the mindset of the researcher while going through this chapter and researcher. Due to the heavy workflow of a research paper, it is not uncommon for a researcher to deviate from their ideal path which can be mitigated using this chapter that can act as guidance.

15. Conclusion

The overall concept of the self-medication process has been described in this study which can be observed in health care professionals. The overall aspects which need to be considered during the identification of the current issues have also been highlighted. The overall concept of this paper reflects the process of self-medication along with its negative impacts of it. Some research questions have also been portrayed in this study that can help readers to identify the purpose of this paper in the current era. Apart from that the importance of knowledge treatment and its evaluation has been explained which needs proper attention from the readers for their benefit.

The overall aspect of the self-medication approach which comes from the presence of knowledge of treatment among health workers has also been portrayed. It can be stated that self-medication approaches can occur due to continuous exposure to medicine and brief knowledge regarding its usage. This study has also explained the importance of proper consultation before consuming a medicine which can reduce the risk related to side effects. Medicines are a combination of different formulas that can create different reactions in the body due to their chemical nature. This makes it necessary for an individual to consult with respected authorities before consuming medicines for particular reasons.

The limited amount of knowledge base of the health practitioner can cause undesired outcomes to take place which can denote damaging effect of side effects. The importance in the medical sector has also been illustrated which can increase the knowledge base of the health workers and cause a reduction in these types of self-medication practices. A theory of Khantizian’s has been used which states the negative impacts of unauthorized self-medication among patients. It also talks about the impact of regular medicine overdoses that can reduce the ability of the body to fight foreign diseases. The use of proper methods and techniques, have also been stated in this study which can be useful for both readers and researchers. Secondary data including interpretivism research philosophy have been used along with an inductive research approach which is justified in this context. The proper usage of exploratory research design has also been mentioned that can highlight the importance of this study.

This study has portrayed proper usage of data collection processes which are aligned with the selected objectives. The first objective which is to identify the self-medication practices along with their negative impact has been portrayed in theme 1 and the second objective has been met in theme 2. The risk factors of self-medication have been portrayed in theme 3 and the last objective has been illustrated in theme 4. The objectives have been met in the data analysis process which is meant to provide proper justification for the selected topic. This study has successfully illustrated the usage of data analysis chapters which have been useful for properly meeting the objectives.

Several issues that are connected to the self-medication process are visible in society and need to be mitigated properly. A higher number of self-medication processes can be observed in healthcare workers which can be considered as an ingredient that encourages these kinds of incidents. Healthcare professionals need proper guidance from a respected authority which can enable them to learn about the mistakes and negative impacts while interacting with medicines in general. Proper training and guidance from the supervisors and higher authorities can reduce the chances of undesired outcomes which can be initiated through the misuse of medicines (Arifin etal. 2019). An adequate amount of knowledge regarding updated medicine can be provided to the health workers which can be beneficial for the overall development of the healthcare facilities along with a reduction in the incidents related to medicinal overdose and side effects.

Another approach which can be implemented by the management level of the health institutes is mitigating the access level to particular drugs. Certain practices such as the need for a prescription for gaining access to medicines can limit the unsupervised consumption of medicine in society. Health institutes should also increase the usage of automatic dispensary machines for medicines such as Pyxis meditation, AcuDose, Cerner RxStation and others (Ershoff etal. 2020). It can limit the accessibility of health workers for gathering medicines which can reduce the overall use of self-medication. Apart from that proper guidelines should also be promoted regarding the distribution process of medicines among the workers in the health industry. Proper supervision and modern approaches regarding medicine accessibility can help to reduce the impact of self- medication in a significant manner.

The future scope of this study lies in the selected techniques and outcomes which can be used by researchers who are looking forward to conducting similar types of research. Apart from that, the usefulness of this study which can be identified through the list of objectives can enhance the future practices of health workers. This study is focused to create awareness among health workers regarding the misuse of the self-medication process (Widowati et al. 2021). It can mitigate the health issues which can occur due to the presence of self-medication practices among the workers in the health industry. Creating proper awareness among the employees along with highlighting the importance of consulting specialists for the medicine intakes have been illustrated in this paper. Apart from this, future researchers can also use this study as a guideline for conducting similar types of research papers.

The lack of primary information in the form of statistical and numerical data can be observed in this study which is meant to increase the accuracy level of the collected data. The combined impact of secondary data would have provided a precise outcome that can properly highlight the key issues. Although the primary data collection process is time consuming and for that reason secondarydatawould be selected for gathering and interpreting according to the requirements of the following research.

16. Reference List

Abu-Alhaija, A.S., 2019. From epistemology to Structural Equation Modeling: An essential guide in understanding the principles of research philosophy in Selecting the Appropriate Methodology. Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 13(9), pp.122-128.

Alfonso, C.A., 2021. An Overview of the Psychodynamics of Addiction. Psychodynamic psychiatry, 49(3), pp.363-369.

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