Tooth loss among adult rural and urban inhabitants of the Lublin Region

Dental diseases and tooth loss result in various health, psychological, and even social problems. The objective of the study was determination of the number of missing teeth among adult rural and urban inhabitants of the Lublin Region, and whether or not there is a relationship between missing teeth and place of residence, and other socio-economic factors, such as: gender, age, education level and the occupation performed (farmer/non-farmer). Data concerning the number of missing teeth were collected from 3,388 individuals. The mean number of missing teeth among the respondents in the study was 13.6. This mean value was significantly higher among the rural than urban inhabitants. Tooth loss was significantly more often found among females than males, this relationship being statistically significant only in the subpopulation of rural inhabitants. According to expectations, the largest number of missing teeth was found in respondents aged over 60, among those aged 31–60 this number was nearly 2.5- fold smaller, while the smallest number of missing teeth was observed among respondents aged 18–30. The largest number of missing teeth was noted among respondents who possessed incomplete elementary or elementary education, followed by those with elementary vocational and secondary school/post-secondary school education, whereas this number was the smallest among respondents who had university education level. Farmers had a significantly larger number of missing teeth, compared to respondents who performed non-agricultural occupations. Using an analysis of regression, the relationship was confirmed between the number of missing teeth, and the respondents’ gender, age, education level, place of residence, and occupation performed. Discrimination analysis was applied to show the relationship between the occurrence of total edentulism and the respondents’ age, gender, education level and place of residence. It was observed that age was the variable which most strongly discriminated the occurrence of this characteristic, followed by education level, as well as gender and place of residence, which were the weakest discriminatory variables

Monitoring of nosocomial infections as an element of prevention

Introduction. Hospital infections are one of the most serious threats to the hospitalised patient and their monitoring is recognised as one of the most important criteria of care quality for modern hospitals. The aim of the work was to present the problem of nosocomial infections and desired behaviours and activities in the field of infection prophylaxis. Material and method. The analysis of the current scientific literature was carried out with particular attention to the prevention of infections in treatment wards and the need to monitor the patient's condition and the environment in the case of an infection. Results. The lack of developed and implemented programmes for the control of nosocomial infections is a fundamental element that increases the risk of nosocomial infections. This disrupts the proper functioning of the hospital and causes additional health problems for the patient and the ward staff. In addition, the hospital suffers losses instead of savings, which is a priority aim in the current funding system. Conclusions. The basis for eliminating or minimising the incidence of nosocomial infections is a well-developed and implemented programme of hospital infection control based on the education of medical personnel in the field of infection prevention. Constant, comprehensive assessment of the procedures used and the standards of conduct, epidemiological data as well as microbiological data can ensure quick identification and elimination of the threat

The level of nurses’ knowledge of the prevention of nosocomial infections – a pilot study

Introduction. A basic element in preventing and combating nosocomial infections is the medical personnel knowledge. It is up to health care workers to determine whether the hospital environment will be safe for both patients and those employed in this sector. The aim of the study was to present the level of nursing staff knowledge of nosocomial infections. Materials and methods. The research was carried out in the Podkarpackie Center of Cardiovascular Interventions in Sanok. The study group consisted of all nurses working in the Hemodynamic Department - 20 people. The tests were carried out using the diagnostic survey method. The research tool was the author's questionnaire. Results. The nurses were aware that the scale of the problem of nosocomial infections was important. Almost all nurses rated their level of knowledge of hospital-acquired infections very well. However, the full definition of the term "nosocomial infections" was not given by about a quarter of respondents. In hospitals nurses did not always follow the rules of aseptic and antiseptic treatment. In addition, they did not see the need to educate patients and their families about the prevention of infections. Conclusions. Hospitals should carry out monitoring of nurses’ compliance with the procedures that are aimed at the elimination of ward infections and should consistently strive at their best to apply these procedures at their workplace. The ward staff should be involved in the education of patients and their families in the prevention of nosocomial infections

Profilaktyka nowotworów u kobiet w Polsce. Sukces, czy niepowodzenie? Opinie pacjentów, lekarzy i instytucji odpowiedzialnych za stan zdrowia – metaanaliza = Prevention of cancer in women in Poland. Success or failure? Opinions of patients, physicians and institutions responsible for health – meta-analysis

Kołłątaj Witold, Karwat Irena Dorota, Kołłątaj Barbara, Piecewicz-Szczęsna Halina, Sowa Magda. Profilaktyka nowotworów u kobiet w Polsce. Sukces, czy niepowodzenie? Opinie pacjentów, lekarzy i instytucji odpowiedzialnych za stan zdrowia – metaanaliza = Prevention of cancer in women in Poland. Success or failure? Opinions of patients, physicians and institutions responsible for health – meta-analysis. Journal of Education, Health and Sport. 2016;6(6):318-328. eISSN 2391-8306. DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.55608 http://ojs.ukw.edu.pl/index.php/johs/article/view/3585 The journal has had 7 points in Ministry of Science and Higher Education parametric evaluation. Part B item 755 (23.12.2015). 755 Journal of Education, Health and Sport eISSN 2391-8306 7 © The Author (s) 2016; This article is published with open access at Licensee Open Journal Systems of Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz, Poland Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited. This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted, non commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited. This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted, non commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited. The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this paper. Received: 05.05.2016. Revised 25.05.2016. Accepted: 10.06.2016. Profilaktyka nowotworów u kobiet w Polsce. Sukces, czy niepowodzenie? Opinie pacjentów, lekarzy i instytucji odpowiedzialnych za stan zdrowia – metaanaliza Prevention of cancer in women in Poland. Success or failure? Opinions of patients, physicians and institutions responsible for health – meta-analysis Witold Kołłątaj1, Irena Dorota Karwat2, Barbara Kołłątaj2, Halina Piecewicz‑Szczęsna2, Magda Sowa3 1Klinika Endokrynologii i Diabetologii Dziecięcej, Uniwersytet Medyczny w Lublinie 2Katedra i Zakład Epidemiologii i Metodologii Badań Klinicznych, Uniwersytet Medyczny w Lublinie 3Katedra i Zakład Zdrowia Publicznego, Uniwersytet Medyczny w Lublinie Adres do korespondencji: dr hab. n. med. Witold Kołłątaj Klinika Endokrynologii i Diabetologii Dziecięcej z Pracownią Metaboliczną UM w Lublinie ul. Profesora Antoniego Gębali 6, 20-093 Lublin e-mail: [email protected] Słowa kluczowe: nowotwory, profilaktyka, kobiety, opinie, metaanaliza. Keywords: cancer prevention, women, opinions, meta-analysis. Streszczenie Wstęp Choroby nowotworowe od wielu lat stanowią w Polsce drugą przyczynę zgonów. Co roku, z tego powodu, umiera niemal 100 000 osób, a liczba zgonów ma tendencję rosnącą. Wyniki leczenia nowotworów w Polsce są gorsze, niż w krajach Europy, diagnostyka często spóźniona, a profilaktyka niewystarczająco skuteczna. W celu poprawy stanu zdrowa społeczeństwa, rosną nakłady na leczenie i profilaktykę. W Polsce profilaktykę koordynuje Narodowy Program Zwalczania Chorób Nowotworowych. Cel pracy Celem pracy jest próba rzetelnej oceny stanu profilaktyki nowotworów u kobiet w Polsce, uwzględniającej opinie zarówno organów odpowiedzialnych za ochronę zdrowia, lekarzy, organów kontroli, jak i pacjentów. Materiał i metody Materiał stanowiły sprawozdania podmiotów odpowiedzialnych za realizację profilaktyki nowotworów u kobiet, akty prawne, publikacje naukowe oceniające realizację profilaktyki nowotworów u kobiet w Polsce oraz dane z Audytu Społecznego Narodowych Programów Profilaktyki Nowotworowej. Wyniki i omówienie Ministerstwo Zdrowia oraz Narodowy Fundusz Zdrowia publikują dane, które podkreślają osiągnięcia profilaktyki nowotworów u kobiet w Polsce, natomiast opinie fachowych pracowników służby zdrowia (wyrażone w konkluzji realizowanych prac badawczych) oraz pacjentów wskazują na znaczne dysproporcje między założeniami programów profilaktycznych a ich faktyczną realizacją. Wśród niedociągnięć wymieniane są przede wszystkim niewystarczające działania edukacyjne, niedociągnięcia organizacyjne (nieuwzględnianie w harmonogramie badań grafiku pracy pacjentek, niewłaściwe informowanie o terminach badań, błędy w dystrybucji wezwań na badanie, nieprzyjazne kobietom warunki badania) oraz inne czynniki, które kobiety określają, jako podważające zaufanie do jakości badania. Najwięcej negatywnych emocji budzi stan komunikacji z grupami docelowymi kobiet oraz zaniedbania z zakresu edukacji. Wnioski Optymistyczne oceny osiągnieć Narodowego Programu Zwalczania Chorób Nowotworowych ogłoszone przez Ministerstwo Zdrowia nie znajdują pełnego pokrycia w opiniach zarówno organów kontrolnych, pacjentów, jak i środowiska medycznego. Liczne negatywne oceny programów profilaktycznych oraz sugestie głębokich reform Narodowego Programu Zwalczania Chorób Nowotworowych nie mają wpływu na plany Ministerstwa Zdrowia. Celowym wydaje się analiza przyczyn takiego stanu rzeczy, kiedy to opinie świata nauki, wyrażane między innymi w publikacjach naukowych, nie skłaniają Ministerstwa Zdrowia do refleksji lub przynajmniej do wszczęcia polemiki ze środowiskiem naukowym i lekarzami praktykami. Summary Introduction For many last years, neoplastic diseases have been the second cause of death in Poland. Every year, such diseases are the reasons for almost 100 000 cases of death. The mortality because of neoplasms has got the increasing tendency. The results of cancer treatment in Poland are worse than in many European countries, diagnoses often delayed and the prevention insufficiently effective. In order to improve the health status of Polish population, the expenditures on treatment and prevention have been slightly raised. In Poland, the prevention is coordinated by the National Cancer Control Program. Aim The aim of the study was the assessment of cancer prevention in women in Poland, taking into account opinions of both Polish Ministry of Health, audit institutions, patients and the medical community. Material and methods The material consists of the reports of entities responsible for the implementation of cancer prevention in women, legislative acts, scientific publications evaluating the implementation of the prevention of cancer in women in Poland as well as data from the National Social Audit Program Cancer Prevention. Results and Discussion While the Ministry of Health and the National Health Fund publish data that highlight the achievements, medical community's opinions (expressed as the conclusions of ongoing researches) as well as the opinions of patients show a significant disparity between the objectives of prevention programs and their actual implementations. Among mentioned shortcomings there are: educational and organizational negligence (working hours of facilities dealing with the prevention are coinciding with the working hours of women, incorrect information about the terms of preventive procedures, improper schemes of distribution of calls for screenings, embarrassing and unpleasant conditions of screenings) as well as other factors that women define as those that prejudice them to take part in such medical procedures. The most negative emotions concern the mechanisms of communication between screening centers and the target groups of women and educational negligence. Conclusions 1. The optimistic assessment of achievements of the National Cancer Control Program proclaimed by the Polish Ministry of Health are not fully covered in the opinions of audit institutions, patients and the medical community. 2. Numerous negative opinions concerning prevention programs and suggestions of deep reform of the National Cancer Control Program have no effect on the plans of the Polish Ministry of Health. 3. It seems appropriate to analyze the causes of this state of affairs, when the opinions expressed by medical community, among others, published as scientific publications, do not tend to reflect the Ministry of Health, or at least to initiate a polemic with the medical-scientific experts and practitioners

Meeting needs for rehabilitation equipment and home adjustments among the disabled in their life environment

Introduction The elimination of functional barriers resulting from disability through the provision of adequate orthopaedic and rehabilitation equipment, and homes adjusted for disability is the precondition for an efficient and independent functioning, and high quality of life of the disabled. The objective of the study was recognition of the needs of the disabled declared by them, and the degree of satisfaction with these needs. Material and Methods The study covered 478 disabled from the Lublin Region. The research instrument was the ‘Questionnaire for the Disabled’ designed by the authors. Results Considering the needs expressed by the respondents concerning the provision of orthopaedic and rehabilitation equipment and meeting these needs, four groups were distinguished: No Needs – 30.1%, Needs Partially Met – 22.4%, Needs Fully Met – 37.7%, Needs Not Met – 9.8%. The group Needs Not Met was characterized by younger age, in the group Needs Partially Met worse indicators of the state of health were noted, more frequent independent living, loneliness and low material standard. Considering the expressed needs for home adjustments adequate to disability and meeting these needs, three groups were distinguished: No Needs – 59.6%, Needs Not Met – 15.9%, and Needs Met – 24.7%. The group Needs Not Met more rarely covered respondents living in residential homes, compared to those living independently in rural or urban areas. The group Needs Met more rarely included rural inhabitants, while more frequently including the disabled who had a high material standard. Conclusions Both the provision of orthopaedic equipment and adjustment of the home to disability are insufficient with respect to the needs. The meeting of these needs is significantly conditioned by high or very high material standard. The lack or incomplete satisfaction with the needs for rehabilitation equipment is associated with a relatively younger age, independent, single residence and low material standard. Living in an residential home means better adjustment of the living environment, and better provision with orthopaedic and rehabilitation equipment

Pielęgniarstwo na rzecz milenijnych celów rozwoju

Praca recenzowana / Peer-reviewed paperPielęgniarki odgrywają kluczową rolę w realizacji milenijnych celów rozwoju włączając się w wiele zróżnicowanych działań na poziomie zarówno lokalnym, krajowym, jak i międzynarodowym. Są to działania m.in. o charakterze wychowawczo- edukacyjnym, opiekuńczo-terapeutycznym, badawczym, jak i politycznym. Przykładem takich działań jest materiał zawarty w niniejszej monografii, w której znalazły się wyniki dociekań naukowych prezentujące aktywność środowiska pielęgniarskiego na rzecz społeczności pacjentów w zdrowiu i w chorobie oraz na rzecz grupy zawodowej pielęgniarek, zmagającej się z wieloma problemami, których rozwiązanie ma istotny związek z realizacją funkcji zawodowych przedstawicieli tej profesji. Tematyka prac składających się na monografię Pielęgniarstwo na rzecz milenijnych celów rozwoju jest bogata i pokazuje różnorodność zainteresowań badawczych pielęgniarek, co nierozerwalnie wiąże się z wielowymiarowością roli społeczno- zawodowej pielęgniarki – także w kontekście realizacji przyjętych przez ONZ celów

E-patient as a challenge for physicians

pacjent, choroba, lekar

Comparison of the quality of night paediatric urgent care in rural and urban areas of Lublin Province, eastern Poland – Appraisals by parents of children requiring medical attention

Introduction The quality of primary medical care for children in Poland is unsatisfactory. In the ranking known as ‘the European Health Consumer Index’, Poland (taking the patient point of view on healthcare quality) is classified on the 27th position out of the 33 possible. The unsolved problems concern inter alia the quality and availability of night paediatric urgent care. Objective The aim was assessing the quality as well as the level of satisfaction with the night paediatric urgent care in the Lublin Province of eastern Poland. Material and Methods The materials for this study consisted of 540 parents of children aged 6–16 years benefiting from night paediatric urgent medical assistance in Lublin Province. The survey was conducted using the Original Survey Questionnaire. Results Inhabitants of the Lublin Province (regardless of place of residence) generally assessed the quality and accessibility of night paediatric urgent care facilities as only satisfactory. Inhabitants living in rural areas have worse access to night paediatric urgent care facilities because of having to travel greater distances, and receive less comprehensive medical assistance than inhabitants living in more urbanized areas, and they are more often referred to hospital emergency departments. During the past five years, both the availability and quality of night paediatric urgent care did not change significantly. Conclusions Inhabitants of the Lublin Province (regardless of place of residence) generally assessed the quality as well as accessibility of night paediatric urgent care facilities as only satisfactory. Rural residents have more reasons for dissatisfaction than urban dwellers. Both the quality and availability of such medical care needs to be improved

Male infertility and human environmental pollution

Introduction. Man is the only being that has created an artificial environment, or civilization. The development of civilization entails changes in the environment. The rapid growth of the impact of human economic activity has led to such changes that are able to threaten not only other living creatures but also themselves. Increasing environmental pollution are well-known factors negative influencing on human environment. Is now a global problem. Anthropogenic pollution contribute to the unfavorable demographic changes and grooving number of health problems of the population. Unfavourable demographic changes manifest themselves as not only increment in the number of deaths and malformations (defects in the reproductive organs), but also as decrement in the fertility rates being the consequence of increasing the growing problem of couples infertility. There is observed the increasing role of male factor in the couple infertility problem. In some developed countries its participation rate reaches 50%. Objective. The aim of the study is to assess the impact of environmental pollution on human development and reproductive function of male gonads. Material and methods. The study was carried out using the method of data analysis published in the works and scientific reports. Current state of knowledge. The paper presents information on identified environmental pollution with proven adverse effects on the development of the gonads and the their reproductive function. There are also known possible negative impacts of environmental pollution on carcinogenesis in male gonads. Wider awareness of the negative impact of environmental pollution and attempts put emphasis on primary prevention can give better long-term effects than increasing spending on the therapies of developmental disorders as well as gonadal dysfunctions symptoms including fertility problems. Conclusions. • Among the environmental pollutants there are many chemicals adversely affecting the organogenesis as well as reproductive function of testicles. • Many of these contaminants are pesticides or chemicals currently approved for use in agriculture and industry, including the food and cosmetics industry. • Those chemicals, adversely affecting organogenesis and testicular generative function, are present in air, water and foods, packaged foods and everyday objects - including clothes (ingredients sponges), perfumes, creams and detergents. • The increase in environmental pollution coincides with the deterioration of sperm quality and reduction in male infertility in highly civilized countries. • Striving for continuous reduction of the environmental seems to be necessary to stop the growing problem of couples infertility

Samoleczenie wśród studentów medycyny Uniwersytetu Medycznego w Lublinie = Self-medication practice among medical students of Medical University in Lublin

Sowa Magda, Kołłątaj Witold, Kołłątaj Barbara, Karwat Irena Dorota, Szakuła Justyna. Samoleczenie wśród studentów medycyny Uniwersytetu Medycznego w Lublinie = Self-medication practice among medical students of Medical University in Lublin. Journal of Education, Health and Sport. 2015;5(7):439-452. ISSN 2391-8306. DOI 10.5281/zenodo.20851 http://ojs.ukw.edu.pl/index.php/johs/article/view/2015%3B5%287%29%3A439-452 https://pbn.nauka.gov.pl/works/589949 http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20851 Formerly Journal of Health Sciences. ISSN 1429-9623 / 2300-665X. Archives 2011–2014 http://journal.rsw.edu.pl/index.php/JHS/issue/archive   Deklaracja. Specyfika i zawartość merytoryczna czasopisma nie ulega zmianie. Zgodnie z informacją MNiSW z dnia 2 czerwca 2014 r., że w roku 2014 nie będzie przeprowadzana ocena czasopism naukowych; czasopismo o zmienionym tytule otrzymuje tyle samo punktów co na wykazie czasopism naukowych z dnia 31 grudnia 2014 r. The journal has had 5 points in Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Poland parametric evaluation. Part B item 1089. (31.12.2014). © The Author (s) 2015; This article is published with open access at Licensee Open Journal Systems of Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz, Poland and Radom University in Radom, Poland Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited. This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted, non commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited. This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted, non commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited. The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this paper. Received: 20.06.2015. Revised 15.07.2015. Accepted: 15.07.2015.   Samoleczenie wśród studentów medycyny Uniwersytetu Medycznego w Lublinie Self-medication practice among medical students of Medical University in Lublin   Magda Sowa1, Witold Kołłątaj2, Barbara Kołłątaj3, Irena Dorota Karwat3, Justyna Szakuła4   1Katedra i Zakład Zdrowia Publicznego Uniwersytetu Medycznego w Lublinie 2Klinika Endokrynologii i Diabetologii Dziecięcej z Pracownią Endokrynologiczno - Metaboliczną Uniwersytetu Medycznego w Lublinie 3Katedra i Zakład Epidemiologii Uniwersytetu Medycznego w Lublinie 4Katedra Zdrowia Publicznego, Wydział Nauk o Zdrowiu Uniwersytetu Medycznego w Lublinie   Adres do korespondencji: dr hab. n. med. Witold Kołłątaj Klinika Endokrynologii i Diabetologii Dziecięcej z Pracownią Metaboliczną UM w Lublinie ul. Profesora Antoniego Gębali 6, 20-093 Lublin e-mail: [email protected]   Słowa kluczowe: samoleczenie, studenci medycyny, leki OTC.   Streszczenie   Wstęp Samoleczenie polega na samodzielnie podjętym przez chorego działaniu, polegającym na stosowaniu leków lub aplikowaniu metod leczniczych, bądź mających potencjalne właściwości  lecznicze, w celu przywrócenia zdrowia lub poprawy jakości życia. Głównymi powodami, dla których ludzie sami podejmują próby leczenia są uwarunkowania kulturowe, brak czasu, niedostatki finansowe, trudny dostęp do lekarzy specjalistów (kolejki), przekonanie, iż błahe dolegliwości nie wymagają pomocy specjalisty, oraz łatwy dostęp do wielu środków leczniczych. Cel pracy Celem pracy była ocena zjawiska samoleczenia wśród studentów medycyny Uniwersytetu Medycznego w Lublinie. Materiał i metody Badaniem zostali objęci studenci medycyny Uniwersytetu Medycznego w Lublinie. Dobór próby dokonany został metodą doboru proporcjonalnego reprezentatywnego. Liczba osób poddana badaniu była proporcjonalna do liczby osób z poszczególnych lat studiów.  W badaniu udział wzięło 267 studentów w wieku 19-32 lat życia, w tym 168 kobiet (62,9%) i 99 mężczyzn (37,1%). Metodą badawczą był sondaż diagnostyczny, a narzędziem badawczym Autorski Kwestionariusz Ankiety. Badanie przeprowadzono w październiku 2014. Wyniki Termin samoleczenie kojarzy się studentom medycyny na ogół z samodzielnym (bez konsultacji z lekarzem) stosowaniem leków do odręcznej sprzedaży – OTC (over-the-counter drugs) (71% ankietowanych) oraz ze stosowaniem tak zwanych domowych sposobów leczenia (60%). Spośród badanych, 23% studentów metody samoleczenia stosowało „zawsze” lub „niemal zawsze” w razie pojawienia się objawów chorobowych, 58% – okazyjnie,  11% nigdy. Wśród osób decydujących się na samoleczenie, najpopularniejsze było stosowanie leków OTC (99% ankietowanych), fitoterapia (27%), ciepłe okłady i plastry rozgrzewające (24.8%)  oraz środki spożywcze używane w sposób niekonwencjonalny (21%). Studenci medycyny bardzo chętnie sięgają po leki OTC. Niemal 90% przyznało, iż zdarza im się z takich leków korzystać, chociaż tylko 6% wyraziło opinię, że takie leki są w pełni bezpieczne i nie stwarzają żadnego zagrożenia dla pacjenta. Stosowanie leków OTC tłumaczą najczęściej łatwością ich zakupu (56% ankietowanych), wcześniej uzyskanymi dobrymi  efektami terapeutycznymi (36%) i atrakcyjną ceną (16%). Wśród OTC studenci medycyny preferują leki „na przeziębienie i grypę”, przeciwbólowe i przeciwzapalne, leki z innych grup stosowane są zdecydowanie rzadziej. Wnioski • Studenci medycyny chętnie korzystają z metod samoleczenia. Tylko 11% ankietowanych studentów medycyny nigdy nie korzystało z tych metod leczenia. • Studenci najchętniej sięgają po leki grupy OTC i fitoterapię. • Ze względu na wysoką liczbę osób stosujących metody samoleczenia, należy podjąć próby skutecznej edukacji młodzieży akademickiej w zakresie zalet i wad stosowania takiej formy terapii.   Keywords: self-treatment, students of medicine, OTC drugs.   Summary   Introduction The phenomenon of self-medication is defined as using drugs or applying treatment methods with potential therapeutic properties without consultation or consent of a doctor in order to restore health or improve quality of life. The main reasons why people attempt to treat themselves are cultural factors, lack of time, financial shortcomings, difficult access to specialists (queues), the belief that trivial ailments do not require a specialist, and easy access to a variety of medications. Aim of the study The aim of the study was to assess the scope of phenomenon of self-medication among medical students of the Medical University of Lublin. Materials and methods The survey were conducted among medical students of the Medical University of Lublin. The study group consisted of representative samples of all 1-6 year study groups.  The study involved 267 students aged between 19-32 years, including 168 women and 99 men. There was used the diagnostic survey method based on the author's questionnaire. The study was conducted in October 2014. Results Medical students, usually, define the term self-treatment as an independent (without consulting a doctor) use of OTC (over the counter) medications (71% of respondents) or so-called home treatment (60%) applied to restore health or improve quality of life. Among the surveyed  students 23% of respondents use methods of self-treatment "always" or "almost always" in case of any symptoms of the disease appearance, 58% – of polled do it occasionally, 11% have never applied such methods of treatment. Among those opting for self-treatment, the most common was the use of OTC drugs (99% of respondents), herbal medicine (27%), warm poultices and warming plasters applying (24.8%) and foodstuffs used in an unconventional way (21%). Medical students are very eager to use OTC drugs. Almost 90% polled confessed that they had been using such drugs in the past, although only 6% of them checked the opinion that such drugs are completely safe and do not pose any danger to the patient. The attitude towards use of OTC drugs has been explained by students by ease of purchase (56%), previously obtained good therapeutic effects (36%) and attractive price (16%). Polled medical students prefer OTC "cold and flu", analgesic and anti-inflammatory medications. Other OTC drugs are used by them much less frequently. Conclusions • Medical students are willing to use methods of self-treatment. Only 11% of polled medical students have never applied such methods of treatment. • While opting for self-medication, they usually use OTC drugs and herbal medicine methods. • Due to the high number of medical students using self-medications methods, it should be made attempts to improve education of students on the advantages and disadvantages of using of these forms of therapy