Abstract

With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic and its socioeconomic impact, access to
appropriate healthcare has become significantly difficult and has increased the likelihood of
self-treatment. However, this probability is higher in people living in rural areas. This study
assesses the prevalence and factors associated with self-medication during the COVID-19
pandemic among residents of Bushenyi-Ishaka City to inform Ugandan policymakers and
agencies other management on appropriate drug use. A cross-sectional descriptive study
design with quantitative methods was used to generate data on people aged 18 years and
above living in Bushenyi-Ishaka Municipality, Uganda, from March 2020 to present.
Systematic interval sampling was used to select households and household heads to be
included in the study.Quantitative data were collected using the ODK mobile data collection
tool with downloaded questionnaires and analyzed using STATA version 19. Despite this,
literature on the prevalence of self-medication and associated factors during the Covid-19
pandemic in Bushenyi-Ishaka residents is limited