Le comportement d'automédication chez les plus de 65 ans : une étude qualitative en médecine générale

Self-medication is used by 80 % of the French adult population who want to take care of their health issues by themselves. Internet attracts 71 % of the patients looking for information about their health. Patients use drugs that they can buy without a prescription, or that were previously prescribed, unused and kept, therefore exposing themselves to significant risks of misuse. The main aim of this study was is to review the different self-medication behaviours of older patients. This involved a qualitative inquiry using semi-directive interviews among outpatients aged 65 and older. Three hundred and forty patients were included in the study. The use of self-medication was directly linked to prior knowledge of the symptom (for 100 %). Pain (100 %), headaches (46 %) and colds (46 %) were the main grounds for this practice. Unfamiliar symptoms led patients to consult their physician (100 %). For 69 % of the patients, self-medication was a reflex and symptomatic. Internet was quoted by 85 % of patients as a health information source, but only 39 % of the patients were concerned about the reliability of website information. The possibility of purchasing drugs in supermarkets was preferred (77 %) to Internet drug purchases (15 %). Acetaminophen was the most widely used drug. Forty seven percent of the patients considered that self-medication drugs were harmless. 70 % of the patients thought the general practitioner should have an accompanying role. The use of self-medication drugs can lead to iatrogenic problems (including drug interactions). Self-medication is not a trivial behavior and the role of the general practitioner in terms of prevention, information and accompaniment is essential. It is fundamental to include questions on self-medication in all patient encounters as an integral part of the physician-patient relationship.