Abstract
Objective: Alert the public about the rational use of medicines and the factors associated with this practice, highlighting the importance of a health professional and promoting preventive actions. Method: It is a descriptive study, of exploratory character and cross section. Quantitative field studies were carried out in the Maria Jovita do Nascimento Emergency and Maternity unit, in five basic health units, in the health workers of the Program community, in the Vaccine Center and in the Epidemiological Surveillance in Fatima - BA. The data came from semi-structured questionnaires to understand the individual opinions on the subject in question. The study was approved by the Committee of Ethics and Research with Human Beings of the University Center AGES unter the opinion nº 024-2018. Results: Of the 45 (100%) professionals, (16, 35.5%) were nurses, (26, 57.8%) were nursing technicians and (3, 6.7%) were nursing assistants. The highest prevalence of self-medication was among nursing technicians (5, 19.2%) and nurses (4, 25%). All professionals (45, 100%) are aware of the risks of self-medication. The drug most used by (14, 31.1%) of the professionals in the last 10 days was dipyrone. Conclusion: This indicates that there is a high rate of self-medication among health professionals.