Prevalence of self-medication among the elderly in Kermanshah-Iran.

Introduction: Self-medication is consumption of one or several medications without the physician's prescription. Given the risks of self-medication, this study was carried out to assess the prevalence of self-medication and its related factors among the elderly in Kermanshah-Iran

Method: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 272 elderly visiting the private offices in Kermanshah were selected through convenience sampling method. The instrument for data collection was a researcher made self-medication questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive and analytic statistical methods (Chi-Square and Fisher exact test).

Results: The prevalence of self-medication was 83%. The most common reasons for self-medication were certainty of its safety (93%), prior consumption of the drug (87.6%), busy offices of physicians (82%), non-seriousness of the illness (77.8%) and prior experience of the disease (73%).The most common drugs used for self-medication were analgesics (92%), cold drugs (74%), vitamins (61%), digestive drugs (54%) and antibiotics (43%). There was a significant correlation between self-medication and gender (p=0.001), education level (p=008), drug information (p=0.01), marital status (p=0.002), and medical insurance (p=0.001) variables.

Conclusion: considering the relatively high rates of self-medication among the elderly as well as its side effects, designing and performing educational programs are suggested for the elderly people.