Self-Medication Practices Among Elderly Community Pharmacy Users in Lagos, Nigeria: A Cross-Sectional Study

Absztrakt

Background: Self-medication, the use of unprescribed medication to treat self-diagnosed illnesses or the re-use of formerly prescribed drugs without medical supervision is a global health safety burden.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the practices of self-medication among the elderly, identify the drugs commonly used and conditions for which they are used, and highlight the factors contributing to self-medication.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey of 390 respondents aged 60 years and above, recruited from community pharmacies in Gbagada, Lagos State, Nigeria. A pretested, self-administered questionnaire was used to assess self-medication practices. Data were analysed with SPSS version 22. Chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests were used to evaluate associations.

Results: Of the 390 respondents, 208 (53.3%) were females, the mean age was 67.7 ± 3.5 years, and 326 (83.6%) were being managed for chronic conditions. A high self-medication prevalence rate of 95.9% was recorded from a recall period of three months. The majority of the respondents who self-medicated sourced the medicines from pharmacies. Medications frequently used were analgesics (275;73.5%), anti-infectives (182;48.0%) and cardiovascular drugs (138;36.9%).  The most common conditions for self-medication practice were headache (200;53.5%), constipation (72;19.3%), malaria (72;19.3%) and infection (59;15.8%). There was a statistically significant association between age (p = 0.008), educational level (p < 0.001) and marital status (p < 0.001), and self-medication practices.

Conclusion: This study found a high prevalence of self-medication among the elderly community pharmacy users in Gbagada. This calls for intervention strategies focused on this population group to ensure safe self-medication practices.