Common patient symptoms: patterns of self-treatment and prevention.

Self treatment is a common and often necessary part of health care. Factors influencing self-treatment include patient satisfaction, cost, educational level, socio-economic factors, age, and gender. In this article, patients' choices of self-treatment are reviewed; the benefits and risks of self-treatment are discussed. One benefit may be decreased health care cost. Risks include drug interactions between prescription and non-prescription drugs. Physicians should be aware that the majority of illness is treated outside the formal health care system. Education is needed to help patients discern whether self-treatment or medical consultation is appropriate.