Objective  To investigate the status and influencing factors of safe medication among residents in Henan province and to provide evidences for the promotion of safe medication among the public.

  Method  We conducted a cross-sectional survey among 2 146 residents selected using simple random sampling method in 15 municipalities of Henan province between July and September 2016. A self-designed questionnaire was used to collect relevant information and SPSS 22.0 was adopted in data analyses. Results Among the participants, only 748 (34.86%) reported paying attention to the specification frequently when taking medicine and the degree of concerning for safe medication increased significantly with the upgrade of education background (χ² = 71.065 1, P < 0.05). Of the participants, 85% considered that they should stop a medication and to visit a doctor for consultation immediately if there is an adverse reaction when taking a medicine; 88.77% reported the experience of purchasing drugs without a doctor′s prescription for self-medication; the proportion of purchasing drugs for self-medication frequently was significantly higher among the participants aged more than 60 years (35.42%, χ² = 62.693 3; P < 0.05). The incorrect medication practice mostly reported by the participants was unable to have timely medication, followed by stopping a medication immediately when the illness being alleviated slightly, increasing or decreasing medication dosage by oneself, and speeding up the infusion speed by oneself when having an intravenous medication.

  Conclusion  The awareness of safe medication needs to be improved among the residents in Henan province.