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

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.

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.

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.

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.