Factors Affecting the Uptake of Combination Therapy for the Treatment of COVID-19
Mita Restinia *
Department of Clinical and Community Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitas Islam Negeri Syarif Hidayatullah, Jakarta, Indonesia.
Ahmad Musir
Department of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitas Islam Negeri Syarif Hidayatullah, Jakarta, Indonesia.
Hendri Aldrat
Department of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitas Islam Negeri Syarif Hidayatullah, Jakarta, Indonesia.
Hoirun Nisa
Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitas Islam Negeri Syarif Hidayatullah, Jakarta, Indonesia.
Yuli Amran
Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitas Islam Negeri Syarif Hidayatullah, Jakarta, Indonesia.
. Marvel
Department of Clinical and Community Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitas Islam Negeri Syarif Hidayatullah, Jakarta, Indonesia.
Alia Dening
Department of Clinical and Community Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitas Islam Negeri Syarif Hidayatullah, Jakarta, Indonesia.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Aims: To analyze factors affecting the use of a combination of herbs and medication or supplements for COVID-19 treatment among self-isolation patients.
Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted to 268 COVID-19 patients with home self-isolation in Indonesia. Data were collected by using a google form questionnaire, consisting of closed-formatted and open-ended questions, from October 9th to December 9th, 2021. A multivariate analysis was performed using a logistic regression test.
Results: The proportion of COVID-19 patients who used a combination of herbs and medication or supplements was 78.4%. Vitamin C, vitamin D, and paracetamol were the medication and supplements most frequently taken by patients. The most commonly consumed herbs were honey (70.7%), ginger (50.18%), and turmeric (26.74%). The multivariate analysis results showed that the duration of infection, sunbathing activities, and marital status were factors significantly associated with the use of a combination of herbs and medication or supplements (P<0.05).
Conclusion: This study highlighted that most COVID-19 patients used herbs in combination with medication or supplements for their treatment. Therefore, there is a necessity for education, especially for patients and health professionals about the potential herb-drug interactions.
Keywords: COVID-19, medication, herbs, supplements, self-isolation