Pattern of Analgesic Use among Iraqi Adults Residing in Baghdad: A Pilot Study of Over-the-Counter and Prescription Use

Abstract

Background: Analgesics are widely used medicines, and non-prescription use may expose patients to avoidable adverse effects and drug interactions. Previous Iraqi studies have documented self-medication and over-the-counter (OTC) medicine use, but the present work was designed as a small pilot study in the general adult population of Baghdad to explore the feasibility of a Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) survey and to describe preliminary patterns of analgesic use.
Objective: To pilot a KAP questionnaire and describe analgesic-use patterns, sources of analgesics, reasons for use, awareness of potential drug interactions, and perceptions and practices related to analgesic safety among adults residing in Baghdad.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional pilot study was conducted in Baghdad, Iraq, from January to May 2026. Sixty adults were recruited by non-probability convenience sampling. Participants completed a structured questionnaire in Arabic through paper administration The questionnaire covered demographic characteristics and KAP domains. Because individual-level data were not available for reconstruction of contingency tables, the analysis was limited to frequencies and percentages; no inferential statistical tests were justifiable.
Results: Thirty-nine of 60 participants (65.0%) reported analgesic use during the preceding 3 months. Paracetamol (30.0%), ibuprofen (25.0%), and diclofenac (18.3%) were the most frequently reported analgesics. Pharmacy was the reported source for 26 participants (43.3%), followed by a physician (18; 30.0%) and previous use (16; 26.7%). Only 17 participants (28.3%) reported awareness of potential drug interactions, whereas 20 (33.3%) reported no awareness and 23 (38.3%) were uncertain. Twenty-five participants (41.7%) regarded analgesic use as safe, 15 (25.0%) as sometimes safe, and 20 (33.3%) as unsafe.
Conclusion: This pilot study suggests that analgesic use and non-prescription acquisition are important areas for further investigation in Baghdad. The findings should not be interpreted as population prevalence estimates because of the small convenience sample and the limitations of the study-specific questionnaire. A larger study using a formally validated Arabic instrument and probability-based sampling is warranted.