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Meta-Analysis
. 2022 Nov 3:10:1041695.
doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.1041695. eCollection 2022.

Prevalence of self-medication during COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Golnesa Kazemioula  1 , Shayan Golestani  2 , Seyed Mohammad Amin Alavi  3 , Forough Taheri  4 , Reza Ghanei Gheshlagh  5 , Mohammad Hassan Lotfalizadeh  6
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Prevalence of self-medication during COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Golnesa Kazemioula et al. Front Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions on travel and quarantine measures made people turn to self-medication (SM) to control the symptoms of their diseases. Different studies were conducted worldwide on different populations, and their results were different. Therefore, this global systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to estimate the pooled prevalence of self-medication.

Methods: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, databases of Scopus, PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science were searched without a time limit. All eligible observational articles that reported self-medication during the COVID-19 pandemic were analyzed. Heterogeneity among the studies was assessed using Cochran's Q test and I2 statistics. A random-effects model was used to estimate the pooled prevalence of self-medication. The methodological quality of the articles was evaluated with the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.

Results: Fifty-six eligible studies were reviewed. The pooled prevalence of self-medication was 48.6% (95% CI: 42.8-54.3). The highest and lowest prevalence of self-medication was in Asia (53%; 95% CI: 45-61) and Europe (40.8%; 95% CI: 35-46.8). Also, the highest and lowest prevalence of self-medication was related to students (54.5; 95% CI: 40.8-68.3) and healthcare workers (32.5%; 16-49). The prevalence of self-medication in the general population (48.8%; 40.6-57) and in patients with COVID-19 (41.7%; 25.5-58). The prevalence of self-medication was higher in studies that collected data in 2021 than in 2020 (51.2 vs. 48%). Publication bias was not significant (p = 0.320).

Conclusion: During the COVID-19 pandemic, self-medication was highly prevalent, so nearly half of the people self-medicated. Therefore, it seems necessary to provide public education to control the consequences of self-medication.

Keywords: COVID-19; meta-analysis; prevalence; self-medication; systematic review.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The process of screening and selecting the articles based on the PRISMA guidelines.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Prevalence of self-medication in the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Publication bias.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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