Global, WHO regional, and continental prevalence of self-medication from ۲۰۰۰ to ۲۰۱۸: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction: Nowadays, with regard to the availability of medicines and populations’ increased knowledge of medical sciences, self-medication has increased which is a challenging issue for the healthcare system.Materials: English language articles published during ۲۰۰۰-۲۰۱۸ were systematically searched in Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus to find relevant research.Results: From ۹۵۱ primarily revealed articles, ۶۹ papers were entered for the final analysis. Overall, ۴۱۶۲۰ individuals were included in the selected papers, ۶۷% of whom (N=۲۷۸۹۰) had at least one experience of self-medication. Among the continents, Europe (Eastern) had the highest incidence rate of self-medication (۷۴%, ۹۵% CI, ۵۶%-۸۶%). In terms of supply resources, ۷۱% of the subjects purchased drugs from pharmacies (۹۵% CI, ۶۱-۸۰%). Regarding the condition that led to self-medication, ۴۸% of the patients turned to self-medication due to neurological problems (۹۵% CI, ۴۰-۵۵%). Conclusion: According to the results of the study, the mean incidence of self-medication was higher in Eastern Europe and Asian countries, compared to other parts of the world. This could be a considerable note for policy-makers of this field. In general, self-medication can lead to short and long-term harmful consequences for the society and the healthcare systems, resulting in huge costs for countries.

کلیدواژه ها:

Global ، WHO regional ، Prevalence ، Self-medication ، Systematic review ، Meta-analysis