Article
Version 1
Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed
Epidemiology of Self-Medication Practice among Libyans: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Version 1
: Received: 26 June 2020 / Approved: 28 June 2020 / Online: 28 June 2020 (10:03:59 CEST)
A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.
Atia, A. Epidemiology of self-medication practice among Libyans: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Zenodo 2020, doi:10.5281/ZENODO.3912021. Atia, A. Epidemiology of self-medication practice among Libyans: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Zenodo 2020, doi:10.5281/ZENODO.3912021.
Abstract
Background and Objectives: In Libya, prescription medicines can easily be dispensed without a prescription, as self-medication with the subsequent of potential misuse and unnecessary risk for patients. This systematic review and meta-analysis explored the prevalence of self-medication among citizens in Libya. Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, ISI Web of Knowledge, EMBASE, Medline, Scopus, google scholar and ResearchGate databases for studies published in Libya reporting the prevalence of non-prescription use of medicines in community pharmacies, targeting studies published from Jan 2008 until Dec 2019. A random meta-analysis was performed to analyze pooled estimates of non-prescription usage of medicines. Results: Out of 63 articles identified, a total of 13 papers from 7 cities were met the inclusion criteria and involved a total of 4741 subjects. The overall pooled proportion of self-medication of drugs was 53.6% (95% CI: 0.93% - 1.08%), with low heterogeneity and the P-value of the whole population tasted was found to be = 1.000 (df = 12). Seven out of the 13 studies reported data on self-medication for antibiotics without prescription. The records ranged from 15.3% (95% CI 0.61–1.65) in Misurata to 76.6% (95% CI 0.80–1.25) in Tripoli. Conclusion: Self-medication use of medicines among Libyan population is a common phenomenon involving a high proportion use of antibiotics. This misuse of medications could enhance the development and spread of antibiotic resistance.
Keywords
Self-medication; dispensing; drug; prescription; misuse; Libya
Subject
Medicine and Pharmacology, Pharmacology and Toxicology
Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Comments (0)
We encourage comments and feedback from a broad range of readers. See criteria for comments and our Diversity statement.
Leave a public commentSend a private comment to the author(s)
* All users must log in before leaving a comment