Prevalence of self-medication among the elderly: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Author:

Rafati Shideh1,Baniasadi Tayebeh2,Dastyar Neda3,Zoghi Ghazal4,Ahmadidarrehsima Sudabeh5,Salari Nasibeh5,Rafati Foozieh5

Affiliation:

1. Social Factors in Health Promotion Research Center, Hormozgan Health Research Institute, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran

2. Department of Health Information Technology, Faculty of Paramedicine, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran

3. Department of Midwifery, Nursing and Midwifery School, Jiroft University of Medical Sciences, Jiroft, Iran

4. Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center, Hormozgan Univesity of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran

5. Department of Nursing, Nursing and Midwifery School, Jiroft University of Medical Sciences, Jiroft, Iran

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Self-medication is the use of unprescribed drugs to treat a disease. Elderly self-medication can be more dangerous compared to other age groups because of changes in organ functions that occur due to senescence. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of self-medication in the elderly, its related factors, and common drugs used in this regard. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Electronic databases such as PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched between January 2016 and June 2021. The search strategy was built on two core concepts: “self-medication” and “aged”. The search was limited to original articles in the English language. A random effect model was used to estimate the pooled prevalence of self-medication. Heterogeneity among studies was assessed using both the I2 statistic and the χ2 test. Also, a meta-regression model was used to investigate the potential sources of heterogeneity of the studies. RESULTS: Out of 520 non-duplicate studies, 38 were included in the meta-analysis. Self-medication in the elderly ranged from 0.3% to 82%. The pooled proportion of self-medication was 36% (95% CI: 27%–45%). The result of the χ2 test and the I2 index (P < 0.001, I2 = 99.90%) revealed notable heterogeneity among the included studies in the meta-analysis. The meta-regression showed a significant association between the sample size (adjusted β = −0.01; P = 0.043) and the pooled proportion of self-medication. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of self-medication in the elderly is high. Education through mass media to raise awareness about the dangers of self-medication can help solve this problem.

Publisher

Medknow

Reference74 articles.

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