Table 3 Pooled results for the prevalence of self-medication by region, antibiotic used and condition treated
Category | Description | Number of studies (n = 34) | Number of respondents | Prevalence of SM | 95 % CI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Geographic region | Sub-Saharan Africa | 15 | 11667 | 40.6 % | 25.8–55.8 |
Asia | 8 | 6980 | 38 % | 15.2.60.8 | |
Middle East | 8 | 11942 | 34.1 % | 23.4–44.8 | |
South America | 3 | 751 | 44.1 % | 9.7–78.6 | |
Risk of bias | Low | 14 | 25009 | 39.2 % | 21.6–56.9 |
Moderate | 12 | 3331 | 39.1 % | 31.2–46.9 | |
High | 8 | 1131 | 37.6 % | 22.3–52.8 | |
Medicine used | Antibacterial only | 17 | 8486 | 33.4 % | 20.6–46.1 |
Antimalarial only | 5 | 2411 | 30.3 % | 10.1–50.4 | |
Antibacterial and Antimalarial | 8 | 10818 | 42.9 % | 19.6–66.8 | |
Multiple antimicrobial agents | 4 | 735 | 61.9 % | 53.9–70.1 |