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Updated: Jan 30, 2026

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Experiences of self-medication among people: a qualitative meta-synthesis
Zhila Fereidouni1, Morteza Kameli Morandini2, Majid Najafi Kalyani3
1School of Nursing, Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa, Iran.
Background:
Self-medication is one of the major health-related problems in the world, which causes many problems for people and health systems. No comprehensive qualitative meta-synthesis has been done to understand the perceptions and experiences of self-medication among people.
Objectives:
This study aimed to analyze, re-interpret, and synthesize the existing qualitative studies on perceptions and experiences of self-medication among people around the world.
Methods:
In this meta-synthesis, all published qualitative studies in PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, and Web of Science databases were searched in May 2018. A total of 543 articles were screened in the primary stage and finally five articles that met the inclusion criteria were included in the meta-synthesis. The included studies were analyzed using Noblit & Hare approach.
Results:
Initially, 115 codes were identified. In the second stage, the codes were merged based on similarity and shared meanings. Finally, after checking by two authors, the following five themes were emerged: cost-effectiveness, affectivity, inefficiency of the healthcare system, previous experiences, and oversimplification.
Conclusion:
The findings of this first meta-synthesis provided a comprehensive understanding of the perceptions and experiences of self-medication around the world. The findings showed that the experiences of self-medication could be classified into personal, social, organizational, and cultural categories. These findings could help policymakers address these perceptions and experiences in effective health planning.
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