Experiences of self-medication among people: a qualitative meta-synthesis

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Abstract
Self-medication is one of the major health-related problems in the world, which causes many problems for people and health systems. No comprehensive qualitative meta-synthesis has been done to understand the perceptions and experiences of self-medication among people. This study aimed to analyze, re-interpret, and synthesize the existing qualitative studies on perceptions and experiences of self-medication among people around the world. In this meta-synthesis, all published qualitative studies in PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, and Web of Science databases were searched in May 2018. A total of 543 articles were screened in the primary stage and finally five articles that met the inclusion criteria were included in the meta-synthesis. The included studies were analyzed using Noblit & Hare approach. Initially, 115 codes were identified. In the second stage, the codes were merged based on similarity and shared meanings. Finally, after checking by two authors, the following five themes were emerged: cost-effectiveness, affectivity, inefficiency of the healthcare system, previous experiences, and oversimplification. The findings of this first meta-synthesis provided a comprehensive understanding of the perceptions and experiences of self-medication around the world. The findings showed that the experiences of self-medication could be classified into personal, social, organizational, and cultural categories. These findings could help policymakers address these perceptions and experiences in effective health planning.
Funding Information
  • Fasa University of Medical Sciences (93093)

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