Skip to main content

Table 1 Examples of meaning units, condensed meaning units, and codes from content analysis of the participants’ experiences

From: Self-medication among the elderly in Iran: a content analysis study

Meaning unit

Condensed meaning unit

Code

The problem is that we didn’t know who to see for mom’s problem. And there was no one to advise us. We kept going to different doctors others’ recommended.

Going to different doctors recommended by others

Choosing physicians recommended by one’s social circle

The doctor prescribed me a bag of drugs without saying a word. So, what am I supposed to do with these? I get confused

Prescribing without talking to the patient

Failure to provide instructions for using the drug

I go to the pharmacy myself and name what I want or I take the packaging. Even if I don’t know the name, I ask the pharmacists. They give me any medicine I want.

Pharmacists give me any medicine I want

Purchasing prescription medication from the pharmacy without a prescription