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Review
. 2023 Feb 28:12:67.
doi: 10.4103/jehp.jehp_630_22. eCollection 2023.

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

Shideh Rafati  1 , Tayebeh Baniasadi  2 , Neda Dastyar  3 , Ghazal Zoghi  4 , Sudabeh Ahmadidarrehsima  5 , Nasibeh Salari  5 , Foozieh Rafati  5
Affiliations
Review

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

Shideh Rafati et al. J Educ Health Promot. .

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 χ 2 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 χ 2 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.

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

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Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA flowchart
Figure 2
Figure 2
Forest plot of the pooled proportion of self-medication
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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