Parental self‐treatment of their children in Jordan, a qualitative study

Objective To explore parents’ attitudes and practices regarding self‐medication of their children in Jordan. Methods An exploratory study with qualitative methods was employed. Participants were invited through clinics, pharmacies and hospitals. Twenty‐six parents from different Jordanian cities took part in in‐depth interviews. All interviews are audio‐recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were analysed thematically to extract themes and subthemes that describes respondents’ attitudes and practices regarding self‐medication of their children. Key findings All participating parents self‐medicated their children primarily for minor ailments (e.g. fever). Three overarching themes arose from the thematic analysis: factors influencing self‐medication, choice of medication and misconceptions and misuse of medication. Parents reported that they prefer to self‐medicate their children due to socio‐demographic (e.g. education and geographic location) and economic reasons. Parents also reported that they do not necessarily seek medical care if they were familiar with their children illness and symptoms. Participating parents rely on past experience or medication package inserts to decide the drug of choice, dosage and duration of treatment. Furthermore, parents’ responses suggest insufficient knowledge of medication effectiveness and safety. Conclusion The prevalence of self‐medication in Jordan is alarmingly high. Also, misconceptions and misuse of drugs are considered a serious problem. Parent's familiarity with illnesses and medications determine the patterns of self‐medication. This study highlights the need for subsequent comprehensive programmes and studies to improve rational drug use in Jordan.