Table 1.
Summary of included studies on antimicrobial self-medication in LMICs
| Study | Country | Recall period/Weeks | Prevalence of SM ( %) | Incorrect drug use | Outcomes | Disease symptoms treated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abdo-Rabbo, 2003 | Yemen | NR | 4 % | NR | NR | Fever (4 %) |
| Agbor (2011) | Cameroon | NR | 21.2 % | Symptoms resolved in a week (39.7 %) | Tooth ache (54.7 %), gingival bleeding (13 %) | |
| Al-Azzam, 2007 | Jordan | 4 | 9.5 % | NR | NR | RTIs (39.1 %), GIT (4.9 %), UTIs (2.9 %), Ear (1.3 %) |
| Askarian, 2012 | Iran | 52 | 43.7 % | NR | NR | RTIs (73.1 %, GIT (41 %) |
| Auta, 2012 | Nigeria | 3 | 17.9 % | NR | NR | NR |
| Awad, 2005 | Sudan | 4 | 73.7 % | Inadequate dose (39 %), Short duration (39 %) | NR | RTIs (20.1 %), fever/malaria (5.5 %) |
| Bano, 2012 | Pakistan | NR | 55 % | Wrong dose, short duration | NR | RTIs (41.3 %), fever/malaria (80 %), GIT (61.3 %), Skin (72.6 %) |
| Barah, 2010 | Syria | 4 | 48.4 % | Stop taking drugs when symptoms improve (50 %) | Allergies (13 %), failed to cure (10 %) | NR |
| Chowdhury, 2009 | Bangladesh | 24 | 18.3 % | Stopped taking drugs when felt better (3.6 %) | Symptoms resolved (2.2 %) | Fever/malaria (55 %), GIT (9 %), Skin (11 %) |
| de Oliveira, 2004 | Brazil | NR | 10.1 % | Incorrect use (0.5 %) | Symptoms did not resolve (3.5 %) | NR |
| Deressa, 2003 | Ethiopia | 24 | 17.8 % | Dose not completed (4.3 %) | NR | Fever/malaria (97 %) |
| Enato, 2011 | Nigeria | 2 | 44.9 % | NR | Symptoms resolved (96 %) | Fever/malaria (57.6 %) |
| Hussain, 2011 | Pakistan | 12 | 17.8 % | NR | NR | RTIs (14.5 %), fever/malaria (57.6 %), GIT (8.4 %), Skin (8.6 %) |
| Jassim, 2010 | Iraq | NR | 63.5 % | Dose not completed (54 %), sharing drugs (12 %) | NR | RTIs (11.3 %), fever/malaria (8.1 %), GIT (11.3 %), Skin (4.9 %), UTIs (4.1 %), Ear (3.6 %) |
| Jombo, 2011 | W. Africa | NR | 38.4 % | NR | NR | NR |
| Lima, 2010 | Brazil | NR | 69.2 % | Sharing drugs | NR | RTIs, GIT |
| Mossa, 2012 | Ethiopia | 12 | 14.6 % | NR | NR | RTIs (14.1 %), fever/malaria (35.9 %), GIT (10.2 %) |
| Nounon, 2009 | Argentina | NR | 53.1 % | Stopped taking drugs when felt better (14 %) | Symptoms resolved (4 %) | RTIs (48 %), fever/malaria (18 %), Skin (1 %), UTIs (7 %) |
| Ngasha, 2011 | Cameroon | NR | 55.7 % | NR | Symptoms did not resolve | Fever/malaria |
| Okumura, 2002 | Vietnam | NR | 12.7 % | NR | NR | RTIs (3.1 %), GIT (1.6 %) |
| Onanuga, 2011 | Nigeria | NR | 45 % | Not completed dose (16.7 %), stopped taking drugs when symptoms resolved (28.3 %) | Experienced adverse effects (65.8 %) | NR |
| Onohwosafe, 2013 | Nigeria | NR | 54.8 % | NR | NR | Fever/malaria (49.6 %) |
| Osemene, 2012 | Nigeria | NR | 91.4 % | NR | NR | RTIs (15.3 %), fever/malaria (5.5 %), GIT (10.2 %), UTIs (43.5 %), Ear (2 %) |
| Oyetunde, 2010 | Nigeria | NR | 25.9 % | Short duration (90 %) | NR | NR |
| Omole, 2010 | Nigeria | 12 | 35.7 % | NR | Not cured (33.7 %), cured (12.9 %) | Fever/malaria, GIT |
| Sanjana, 2006 | Indonesia | 52 | 42 % | NR | Adverse effects (23 %), relapse of malaria | Fever/malaria (93 %), GIT (17 %) |
| Sapkota, 2010 | Nigeria | 12 | 25.2 % | NR | NR | None specific symptoms |
| Sarahroodi, 2009 | Iran | 12 | 54.5 % | Not completing dose (74.2 %) | NR | RTIs (66.7 %), GIT (23 %) |
| Sawalha, 2008 | Palestine | 24 | 19.4 % | Not completing dose (59.9 %) | NR | RTIs (30.3 %), Ear (3.3 %) |
| Shankar, 2002 | Nepal | 24 | 59.2 % | NR | NR | Fever/malaria |
| Shehadeh, 2012 | Jordan | 52 | 30 % | Not completing dose (38.5 %) | ADRs (69.6 %), Allergy, harm the teeth | RTIs (31 %), UTIs (4.7 %), Ear (3.8 %) |
| Sihavong, 2006 | LPR | 52 | 91 % | Short duration of taking drugs (79 %) | NR | UTIs (78 %) |
| Widayati, 2011 | Indonesia | 4 | 8.1 % | Short duration of taking drugs (36.6 %) | NR | RTIs (31.8 %), fever/malaria (12.2 %) |
| Yousif, 2002 | Sudan | NR | 46.9 % | Sharing drugs (59.3 %), Not completing dose (28.8 %) | NR | NR |
LMICs: Low and Middle Income countries, NR: Not Reported, RTIs: Respiratory Tract Infections, GIT: Gastrointestinal tract, UTIs: Urinary Tract Infections, LPR: Lao People’s Republic