Prevalence and patterns of self-medication practices in India: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Self-medication is a growing concern globally, particularly in countries like India, due to its potential implications on public health. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the prevalence and patterns of self-medication practices in India. PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Embase were searched for studies reporting on the prevalence of self-medication in India and published between 2000 and October 2023. R software was used for analysis. Subgroup analyses were conducted on moderators including geographical region, study population, sample size, and publication year. Heterogeneity was assessed using I2 statistic. Qualitative synthesis analyzed reasons, conditions, information sources, and drug categories associated with self-medication. Sixty-six studies involving 29,873 participants were included. Pooled prevalence of self-medication in India was 64.4%. While the northern region of India had the highest rate at 81.9%, no significant difference was observed among other regions. Self-medication practices among students from the non-healthcare domain exhibited highest rate (86.1%), followed by students from healthcare domain (79.0%) and general population (59.7%). Studies with smaller sample sizes showed a higher prevalence (71.6%) of self-medication than those with larger sample sizes (55.8%). Major reasons for self-medication included perceptions of minor illness, time constraints, and financial restrictions. Common indications for which self-medication was done included fever, headache, and cough/cold. Pharmacists, past prescriptions, and advice from friends/family were leading sources of information. Analgesics, antipyretics, antibiotics, and cough remedies were the most commonly self-medicated drugs. Self-medication is highly prevalent in India. Targeted interventions are needed to address the potential harms of self-medication, ensuring safe and informed practices among the population.