Extent and outcome of self-medication by patients reporting to a private skin clinic in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

A total of 350 patients (203 females and147 males) attending Meise private skin clinic in Dar es Salaam were interviewed to elicit information on various aspects of self-medication including skin conditions for which self medication is commonly used, type and source of medication, the appropriateness for the medication and the outcome of self-medication. Thirty percent of the patients could not ascertain the type of medication they used. The drugs commonly used for self-medication were anti-fungals (42%), antibiotics (25%), steroid containing drugs (10%), analgesics (44%), antihistamines 6(%) and others (13 %).