Determinants of Self-Medication in Immigrants: A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Services Research
• Sociology of Health

Background:

• Immigrants face challenges accessing formal healthcare in host countries.
• Self-medication is a common practice among immigrants, with potential negative consequences if inappropriate.
• Understanding the drivers and extent of immigrant self-medication is crucial for public health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically explore the prevalence of self-medication among immigrants.
• To identify the primary sources and determinants influencing immigrant self-medication practices.
• To assess the extent of inappropriate self-medication episodes, with a focus on antibiotic use.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search across PubMed, Scopus, SpringerLink, and ScienceDirect databases.
• Inclusion of 32 studies reporting on immigrant self-medication prevalence, sources, determinants, and inappropriateness.
• Data extraction and synthesis to identify common themes and prevalence rates.

Main Results:

• Self-medication prevalence among immigrants ranged from 20.2% to 94.6%.
• Common sources include home countries, local markets, and informal networks.
• Inappropriate self-medication occurred in approximately 46% of episodes, with antibiotic self-medication being prevalent (66% of studies).
• Determinants included perceptions of illness, healthcare access barriers (accessibility, availability, affordability, acceptability, awareness, accommodation), worry, and predisposing factors (age, income, work status, language).

Conclusions:

• Healthcare access barriers significantly drive immigrant self-medication.
• Cultural beliefs, socioeconomic factors, and worry contribute to self-medication practices.
• Enhancing healthcare services' availability, affordability, and cultural appropriateness in host countries can mitigate inappropriate self-medication among immigrants.