Prevalence and patterns of self-medication practices in India: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Self-medication is a growing concern globally, particularly in countries like India, due to its potential implications on public health. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the prevalence and patterns of self-medication practices in India. PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Embase were searched for studies reporting on the prevalence of self-medication in India and published between 2000 and October 2023. R software was used for analysis. Subgroup analyses were conducted on moderators including geographical region, study population, sample size, and publication year. Heterogeneity was assessed using I² statistic. Qualitative synthesis analyzed reasons, conditions, information sources, and drug categories associated with self-medication. Sixty-six studies involving 29,873 participants were included. Pooled prevalence of self-medication in India was 64.4%. While the northern region of India had the highest rate at 81.9%, no significant difference was observed among other regions. Self-medication practices among students from the non-healthcare domain exhibited highest rate (86.1%), followed by students from healthcare domain (79.0%) and general population (59.7%). Studies with smaller sample sizes showed a higher prevalence (71.6%) of self-medication than those with larger sample sizes (55.8%). Major reasons for self-medication included perceptions of minor illness, time constraints, and financial restrictions. Common indications for which self-medication was done included fever, headache, and cough/cold. Pharmacists, past prescriptions, and advice from friends/family were leading sources of information. Analgesics, antipyretics, antibiotics, and cough remedies were the most commonly self-medicated drugs. Self-medication is highly prevalent in India. Targeted interventions are needed to address the potential harms of self-medication, ensuring safe and informed practices among the population.