Factors associated with self-medication in users of drugstores and pharmacies in Peru: an analysis of the National Survey on User Satisfaction of Health Services, ENSUSALUD 2015

Abstract

Background: Irresponsible self-medication is a problem for health systems in developing countries. We aimed to estimate the frequency of self-medication and associated factors in users of drugstores and pharmacies in Peru. Methods: We performed a secondary data analysis of the 2015 National Survey on User Satisfaction of Health Services (ENSUSALUD), a two-stage probabilistic sample of all regions of Peru. Non self-medication (NSM), responsible self-medication (RSM) and irresponsible self-medication (ISM) were defined as the outcome categories. Demographic, social, cultural and health system variables were included as covariates. We calculated relative prevalence ratios (RPR) with their 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) using crude and adjusted multinomial logistic regression models for complex samples with NSM as the referent category. Results: 2582 participants were included. The average age was 41.4 years and the frequencies of NSM, RSM and ISM were 25.2%, 23.8% and 51.0%; respectively. The factors associated with RSM were male gender (RPR: 1.35; 95%CI: 1.06-1.72), being between 40 and 59 years old (RPR: 0.53; 95%IC: 0.39-0.72), being 60 or older (RPR: 0.39; 95%IC: 0.25-0.59), not having health insurance (RPR: 1.89; 95%CI: 1.31-2.71) and living in the Highlands region (RPR: 2.27; 95%CI: 1.23-4.21). The factors associated with ISM were male gender (RPR: 1.41; 95%CI: 1.16-1.72), being between 40 and 59 years old (RPR: 0.68; 95%IC: 0.53-0.88), being 60 or older (RPR: 0.65; 95%IC: 0.48-0.88) and not having health insurance (RPR: 2.03; 95%CI: 1.46-2.83). Conclusion: Around half of the population practiced ISM, which was associated with demographic and health system factors. These outcomes are the preliminary evidence that could contribute to the development of health policies in Peru.

Understanding the Factors Influencing Older Adults’ Decision-Making about Their Use of Over-The-Counter Medications—A Scenario-Based Approach

“…Adults aged 65 years or older (older adults) use a disproportionately large number of OTC medications compared to other age groups [9,10], both in terms of overall quantities and rates of use (i.e., daily or weekly). This elevated prevalence is true not only in the U.S., [9] but also internationally [11][12][13][14]. These elevated patterns of OTC medication use do not necessarily translate into older adults having a greater understanding of these medications or of their safety profiles [15,16].…”

Drug utilization research in Peru: Is real-world data available?

“…The drug data sources identified from the literature review on PubMed, SciELO, and BVS were ENSUSALUD and ICI. Five studies were conducted using these databases ( Hodgkin et al, 2014 ; Urrunaga-Pastor et al, 2015 ; Mezones-Holguín et al, 2016 ; Hernández-Vásquez et al, 2018 ; Rojas-Adrianzén et al, 2018 ). From the gray literature search, we found CENAFyT.…”

“…This data source was the most frequently used for DUR purposes. As a result of the review, we found four studies that aimed to evaluate factors associated with self-medication and the purchase of medications without prescription ( Urrunaga-Pastor et al, 2015 ; Mezones-Holguín et al, 2016 ; Hernández-Vásquez et al, 2018 ; Rojas-Adrianzén et al, 2018 ).…”

La voluntad política y la gobernanza: claves en la implementación de HEARTS en el Perú

“…El sistema de salud de Perú es un sistema fragmentado, segmentado y parcialmente descentralizado (4,5), y no ha experimentado cambios desde la aprobación de la Ley N° 29344 Ley Marco de Aseguramiento Universal en Salud en 2009. El acceso a los servicios de salud es escaso (6), y existen una baja disponibilidad efectiva de medicamentos (7) y una alta frecuencia de automedicación (8) En este contexto, el análisis de los mecanismos de la gobernanza puede contribuir de manera directa o indirecta a la consecución de los resultados sanitarios (11). Así, en este artículo se describen los elementos claves que marcaron la gobernanza y la voluntad política que ha permitido la implementación sostenida de la Iniciativa HEARTS en el Perú y su ampliación a nivel nacional.…”