Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Regarding Self-Medication Among Medical and Pharmacy Students at Damascus University: A Cross-Sectional Study.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate and compare the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding self-medication (SM) among medical and pharmacy students at Damascus University, Syria. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among medical and pharmacy students using convenience sampling with snowball dissemination via online channels. Bivariate analysis using Chi-square (χ2) test was performed to examine associations between demographic variables and KAP levels, followed by multivariate binary logistic regression to identify independent predictors, reporting adjusted odds ratios (aOR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: A total of 607 participants participated (47.6% pharmacy, 52.4% medicine). Good knowledge was demonstrated by 68.4% of participants, and all participants (100%) held a positive attitude. However, optimal responsible practice was observed in only 2.1%. Multivariate analysis identified male gender as an independent predictor of fair/good practice (aOR = 2.424, 95% CI: 1.422-4.129, p = 0.001), while medical specialty showed a marginal trend relative to knowledge (aOR = 0.694, p = 0.051). Cold/cough (84.2%) and headache (82.5%) were the main managed conditions, driven primarily by the perception of illness non-seriousness (89.5%). CONCLUSION: A substantial knowledge-practice gap exists among healthcare students at Damascus University. While academic knowledge and positive attitudes are high, safe practices remain alarmingly low. These findings suggest that overreliance on academic knowledge and underestimation of illness severity are associated with unsafe practices, highlighting an urgent need for competency-based training in rational self-medication.