SUMMARY
Penelitian observasional potong lintang ini bertujuan mengeksplorasi prevalensi dan pola swamedikasi di Kota Yogyakarta. Sejumlah 640 sampel di Kota Yogyakarta dipilih secara klaster acak pada periode Maret–Mei 2010. Data yang diperoleh kemudian dianalisis secara statistik deskriptif. Sebanyak 50% dari responden tersebut berswamedikasi satu kali, 33% dua kali dan 17% lebih dari dua kali. Responden yang membeli obat modern sebanyak 86% dan obat tradisional sebanyak 14%. Obat swamedikasi diperoleh dari apotek (42%), toko/warung kelontong (35%), toko obat (7%), dan kombinasi ketiganya (16%). Sebanyak 99% responden sembuh atau setidaknya berkurang keluhannya setelah berswamedikasi. Jika tidak sembuh setelah berswamedikasi, 45% responden menyatakan akan pergi ke dokter, sementara 20% lainnya ke puskesmas, 5% ke rumah sakit dan 5% kembali melakukan swamedikasi. Sumber informasi tentang obat mereka peroleh dari iklan (32%), dokter (17%), teman (17%), dan dari apotek (5%). Alasan mereka berswamedikasi antara lain pengalaman sembuh menggunakan obat tersebut sebelumnya (24%), berpersepsi bahwa penyakitnya ringan (22%), cepat dan praktis (17%) dan murah (13%). Temuan diatas mengindikasikan peluang dari aspek bisnis apotek sekaligus tantangan peningkatan peran profesi apoteker terutama di apotek dalam membantu masyarakat berswamedikasi secara tepat.Kata kunci: Swamedikasi, masyarakat perkotaanSelf-Medication among Urban Population in YogyakartaThis observational cross-sectional study is aimed at exploring prevalence and patterns of SM in Yogyakarta. A cluster random sampling technique was applied to select 640 adults in Yogyakarta between March and May 2010. From a total of 559 completed questionnaires, 247 (44%) respondents who had self-medicated during two previous weeks were included in subsequent analysis. Among these respondents, 50%had self-me-dicated once, 33% twice and 17% more than two times. Eighty-six percent of respondents had consumedmodern medicines while the rest 14% had used traditional ones. The drug for SM was obtained from pharmacies (42%), groceries (35%), drug stores (7%) and combination of those three sources (16%). Most of the respondents (99%) were recovered from their illnesses or at least experienced a symptom relieve after SMs. Forty-five percent respondents stated that they will visit a physician when they see no improvement after SM, while the rest said they will visit primary healthcenters (20%) and hospitals (5%) orrepeat their SM (5%). Information about the medicines areobtained from advertisements (32%), physicians (17%), friends (17%) and pharmacists (5%). The motivation for SM are previous experience of being relieved (24%), perception that they haveminor illnesses (22%), quick and easy (17%) and cheap (13%). Above findings indicate a business opportunityof pharmacies and a challenge to improve the role of pharmacists in assisting people regarding the selection of medicines for SM.Key words: Self-medication, urban people