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Cited by 31Antibiotic Use and ResistancePharmacy and Medical PracticesPharmaceutical Economics and Policy

Global, WHO Regional, and Continental Prevalence of Self-medication from 2000 to 2018: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

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Ghasemyani, Shabnam, Roohravan Benis, Mahshid, Hosseinifard, Hossein, Jahangiri, Reza, Aryankhesal, Aidin, Shabaninejad, Hosein, Rafiei, Sima, Ghashghaee, Ahmad·2022·Annals of Public Health
DOI 10.55085/aph.2022.585
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Abstract

Background: 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. This study aimed to examine the prevalence of self-medication, comprehensively at a global level. In addition, effective factors in this regard, including the motives of self-medication, diversity of medicines used, the supply resources, and type of the resulted disease were evaluated.Materials: English language articles published during 2000-2018 were systematically searched in Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus to find relevant research. Studies that met the inclusion criteria were evaluated independently by two researchers the relevant articles were examined based on the prevalence of the phenomenon and factors such as setting of study, common reasons for self-medication, and common drugs used.Results: From 951 primarily revealed articles, 69 papers were entered for the final analysis. Overall, 41620 individuals were included in the selected papers, 67% of whom (N=27890) had at least one experience of self-medication. Among the continents, Europe (Eastern) had the highest incidence rate of self-medication (74%, 95% CI, 56%-86%). In terms of supply resources, 71% of the subjects purchased drugs from pharmacies (95% CI, 61-80%). Regarding the condition that led to self-medication, 48% of the patients turned to self-medication due to neurological problems (95% CI, 40-55%). Among the causes of self-medication, “a previous history” and “minor nature of the disease” were the most common reasons for self-medication.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.

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  • Across the globe, self-medication rates vary: Asia 71%, Europe 74%, South America 60%, and Africa 56%.

    “Across the globe, self-medication rates vary: Asia exhibits a prevalence of 71%, Europe 74%, South America 60%, and Africa 56%.14”

    From Prevalence and patterns of self-medication practices in India: A systematic review and meta-analysis (2025) · cites this paper as [14]

    Section 3.4 reports 71% for Asia and 74% for Europe, but the paper specifies that its European studies were confined to eastern European countries. The passages in our copy do not provide the claimed 60% for South America or 56% for Africa; searches for those figures found no matching passage. No page number is available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.87)

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  • The self-medication prevalence in India (64.4%) aligns closely with the global prevalence of 67%.

    “This rate aligns closely with the global prevalence of 67%.14”

    From Prevalence and patterns of self-medication practices in India: A systematic review and meta-analysis (2025) · cites this paper as [14]

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Authors
Ghasemyani, S., Roohravan Benis, M., Hosseinifard, H., Jahangiri, R., Aryankhesal, A., Shabaninejad, H., Rafiei, S., & Ghashghaee, A.
Affiliations
  • Iran University of Medical Sciences (IR)
  • Tabriz University of Medical Sciences (IR)
  • Newcastle University (GB)
  • Qazvin University of Medical Sciences (IR)
ORCID
Venue
Annals of Public Health
Publisher
Bouti Publishing
Published
2022-01-18
ISSN
2831-6193 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.55085/aph.2022.585
OpenAlex
W4225496209
Cited by
31
References
2
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 3
FWCI
0.37
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
Annals of Public Health (publishedVersion, cc-by)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology › Antibiotic Use and Resistance
  • Life Sciences › Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics › Pharmacology › Pharmacy and Medical Practices
  • Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Economics and Econometrics › Pharmaceutical Economics and Policy
Keywords
self-medication, prevalence, drug supply, neurological disorders, regional variation, Eastern Europe, Asia, health care costs

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