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Background: Self-medication is one of the existing problems in the treatment cycle of patients that with aging and increased drug use, its side effects increase. The purpose of this study was to assess the factors influencing self-medication among elderly urban centers in Zarandieh based on Health Belief Model Materials and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 180 elderly individuals (95 females and 85 males) over 60 in Zarandieh. Data collection tools were a questionnaire designed based on HBM model (perceived susceptibility/ severity, and perceived benefits/barriers) and self-medication checklist. Results: The prevalence of self- medication in the elderly was 31% (33% women and 29% men). The most common reasons for self-medication were previous experience of the disease and its recognition (61%), availability of drugs (60.5%), and good result of their previous treatment (56.7%). There was a significant difference in awareness, sensitivity, severity, perceived benefits and barriers among people with or without self-medication history (P< 001). Conclusion: Noticing the side effects of drugs and the high prevalence of self-medication among elderly, designing educational programs for changing the awareness and beliefs of elderly regarding self-medication is recommended.

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Background: Previous studies in Iran and around the world have indicated the high rate of medicines use. In recent years, medicine use has continued to rise in spite of attempts made by the Ministry of Health and Medical Education in Iran. Therefore, it seems that in addition to the reasons considered in previous studies, there are other reasons for this problem in Iran. One of the parameters involved in this problem is the high medicine use among the clinical staff. Thus the aim of this study is to compare medicine use among clinical and non-clinical staff members. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, information about the monthly use of medicines was obtained by means of a questionnaire administered to eight groups of clinical and non-clinical members: first-year medical students, first-year non-medical students, interns of medicine, forth-year non-medical students, general physicians, specialists, academic members with M.Sc, and academic members with PhD degrees. Results: The results showed that medicine use decreased with increase in education level in both groups. In addition, the comparison of medicine use between clinical and non-clinical groups showed that there is not a significant difference for most medicines among the first- and second-year students but medicine use significantly increased among general physicians and specialists compared to the control groups. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that medicine use among clinical staff should be considered in controlling medicine use in Iran.

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Background: Self-medication is one of the biggest problems of social, health and economic societies such as Iran. The aim of this study was to determine the benefits and barriers about self-medication among women referring to health center in Qom city.  

Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study carried out on women referred to health centers in Qom city- 2016. In the current study, 226 people were selected from among the health centers by multistage sampling. A standard questionnaire was used on knowledge about self-medication, perceived benefits, perceived barriers and self-medication. Data were analyzed by SPSS V.20 using independent t-test and Chi-square.

Results: According to the results of this study, 74.3 percent of women had a history of self-medication that 43.8 percent of them was in the past 6 months. The mean of knowledge about self-medication and perceived barriers in people with a history of self-medication was significantly higher than those who had not a history of self-medication (p<0.05). While, the perceived benefits was not significantly associated with a history of self-medication (p=0.79).

Conclusion: Given the high prevalence of self-medication and the relationship between knowledge and perceived barriers with self-medication, therefore, educational program is necessary for women about the effects and consequences of self-medication through the media.