**Petrut,a Tarciuc 1, Ana Maria Alexandra Stanescu 2, Camelia Cristina Diaconu 2,3, Luminita Paduraru 4,\*, Alina Duduciuc <sup>5</sup> and Smaranda Diaconescu <sup>4</sup>**


Received: 26 April 2020; Accepted: 23 June 2020; Published: 25 June 2020

**Abstract:** *Background and objectives:* Self-medication is a global phenomenon in both developed and emerging countries. At present, data regarding the practice, patterns, and factors associated with self-medication in Romanian patient groups of various ages and health are relatively scarce. A pilot study that uses a questionnaire was conducted to observe the attitudes as well as the behaviors of a group of Romanian parents related to self-medication, specifically their beliefs and perceived risks of the administration of medicine to their children without medical advice, frequency of self-medications, symptoms, and types of medications most commonly used without medical advice. *Materials and Methods:* The questionnaire was sent via e-mail or WhatsApp link on a mobile phone using the existing data at the general practitioner's office together with the protection of data form and the informed consent form; some participants completed the questionnaire when they came for a regular visit at the general practitioner's office. Of 246 applied questionnaires, we had a rate of responses of 98%. *Results:* We found a high percentage (70%) of parents who self-medicate their children. The data reveals a significant relation between parents' beliefs on self-medication and their tendency to administrate drugs to their children without medical advice. A significant relation was also found between the likelihood of parental self-medication for their children and the number of illnesses experienced by their children over the six-month period prior to the survey. Even when parents have a correct understanding of self-medication risks, these are not aligned with actual behavior; therefore, parents continue to administer drugs to their children without medical advice. *Conclusions:* Our study helps to describe the patterns of parents' decisions about self-medicating their children and to identify parents who are more predisposed to administering self-medication to their children.

**Keywords:** children; self-medication; risks; beliefs
