Department of Medical Genetics, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Dental School, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran.
Front Public Health. 2022 Nov 3;10:1041695. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.1041695. eCollection 2022.
The COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions on travel and quarantine measures made people turn to self-medication (SM) to control the symptoms of their diseases. Different studies were conducted worldwide on different populations, and their results were different. Therefore, this global systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to estimate the pooled prevalence of self-medication.
In this systematic review and meta-analysis, databases of Scopus, PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science were searched without a time limit. All eligible observational articles that reported self-medication during the COVID-19 pandemic were analyzed. Heterogeneity among the studies was assessed using Cochran's Q test and I statistics. A random-effects model was used to estimate the pooled prevalence of self-medication. The methodological quality of the articles was evaluated with the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.
Fifty-six eligible studies were reviewed. The pooled prevalence of self-medication was 48.6% (95% CI: 42.8-54.3). The highest and lowest prevalence of self-medication was in Asia (53%; 95% CI: 45-61) and Europe (40.8%; 95% CI: 35-46.8). Also, the highest and lowest prevalence of self-medication was related to students (54.5; 95% CI: 40.8-68.3) and healthcare workers (32.5%; 16-49). The prevalence of self-medication in the general population (48.8%; 40.6-57) and in patients with COVID-19 (41.7%; 25.5-58). The prevalence of self-medication was higher in studies that collected data in 2021 than in 2020 (51.2 vs. 48%). Publication bias was not significant ( = 0.320).
During the COVID-19 pandemic, self-medication was highly prevalent, so nearly half of the people self-medicated. Therefore, it seems necessary to provide public education to control the consequences of self-medication.
COVID-19 大流行和旅行限制及检疫措施促使人们转而自行用药（SM）来控制自身疾病的症状。世界各地针对不同人群开展了多项研究，结果各不相同。因此，本项全球性系统评价和荟萃分析旨在评估自行用药的总体流行率。
本系统评价和荟萃分析检索了 Scopus、PubMed、Embase 和 Web of Science 数据库，未设置时间限制。分析了所有报告 COVID-19 大流行期间自行用药的符合条件的观察性文章。采用 Cochran's Q 检验和 I ² 统计量评估研究间的异质性。采用随机效应模型估计自行用药的总体流行率。采用纽卡斯尔-渥太华量表评估文章的方法学质量。
共纳入 56 项符合条件的研究。自行用药的总体流行率为 48.6%（95%CI：42.8-54.3）。自行用药的最高和最低流行率分别见于亚洲（53%；95%CI：45-61）和欧洲（40.8%；95%CI：35-46.8）。最高和最低流行率与学生（54.5；95%CI：40.8-68.3）和医护人员（32.5%；16-49）有关。一般人群（48.8%；40.6-57）和 COVID-19 患者（41.7%；25.5-58）的自行用药流行率也较高。2021 年收集数据的研究中自行用药的流行率高于 2020 年（51.2 比 48%）。发表偏倚不显著（ = 0.320）。
在 COVID-19 大流行期间，自行用药的情况十分普遍，几乎有一半的人自行用药。因此，似乎有必要开展公众教育以控制自行用药的后果。
