Self-Medication in Older Urban Mexicans

Abstract

Self-medication in older adults is a problem that should be carefully addressed in public health policies. Surveys such as the present one are easy to carry out (and could conveniently be conducted in primary care settings), rapidly yield information about the true nature of self-medication in local populations, and provide a basis on which to design future interventions. Factors associated with self-medication in this study, including both socioeconomic characteristics (e.g. most self-medicators were poorly educated or lived alone) and therapeutic considerations (e.g. substantial proportions of patients self-medicated for hypertension, used previous prescriptions as the basis for self-medication, or reported adverse effects of self-medication), are vital clues to the design of effective and appropriately targeted interventions in the future.

Tendência da prática de automedicação entre idosos brasileiros entre 2006 e 2010: Estudo SABE

“…In 2006, the practice of self-medication occurred in elderly people with low education (zero and one to three years of schooling), a finding consistent with other Brazilian 12,23,24 and Mexican research 18 . Elderly people with low education may present subjacent elements such as lower income and less access to health services, with exclusive dependence on the public health service.…”

“…Due to the comprehensive pharmacological actions (reduction of fever, pain relief, and reduction of inflammation), these agents are useful in the treatment of acute and chronic conditions found in the elderly 30 . Similar to the SABE study, these drugs were the most consumed by the elderly in urban areas of different countries 8,10,18,20,23,30 .…”

“…In Spain and the United States, it was observed that self-medication occurred in 46 and 50% of elderly living in urban areas, respectively 16,17 . In Mexico, there was a prevalence of 53.5% in elderly 18 . Consumption of over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, especially in large cities, may be motivated by values that predominate in modern society.…”

The Evaluation of the Awareness, Attitude and Practice of the Elderly Toward Self-Medication: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…A large number of studies emphasized an increase in the cost of treatment and medication during aging. In addition, chronic illnesses, especially among elderly people, can create pain and disability, poor quality of life, as well as an increased need and use of medication [22]. Healthy aging is considered as the right for all human beings, which highlights the significance of aging phenomenon, prevention of the problems among the elderly, and finally, better provision of nursing care to this vulnerable population [13].…”

Self-Medication With Analgesic Among Surabaya, East Java Communities

“…Obat yang digunakan tidak sebatas obat sintetis melainkan juga obat herbal dan produk tradisional (1) .Sebuah penelitian yang dilakukan di Amerika Serikat dan Inggris menyatakan bahwa swamedikasimerupakan respon utama pasien terhadap gejala kesehatan yang dialami (2) . Hal tersebut ditegaskan melalui hasil beberapa penelitian yang menunjukkan mayoritas pasien (40-72%) di beberapa negara melakukan swamedikasi sebagai respon terhadap gangguan kesehatan (3)(4)(5)(6)(7) . Demikian pula di Indonesia, hasil Riset Kesehatan Dasar (Riskesdas) tahun 2013 menyatakan bahwa sejumlah 103.860 (35,2%) rumah tangga menyimpan obat untuk swamedikasi (8) .…”