Knowledge, attitudes and barriers towards adverse drug reaction (ADT) reporting among hospital pharmacists: a nationwide survey / Ruwaida Helwani Abd Razak

Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) detection and reporting are of utmost importance to ensure safe and quality use of medicine resulting in improved patient safety. Pharmacists being the drug experts play a vital role in detection and reporting of ADRs. Therefore this study is conducted to evaluate knowledge, attitudes and barriers towards reporting adverse drug reaction among hospital pharmacists in Malaysia. A cross sectional survey was conducted from July to August 2009 using a validated structured self-administered questionnaire. Fully registered hospital pharmacists from 10 randomly chosen government hospitals were invited to participate in the study. The 10-item questionnaire consisted of four parts; demographic data, general knowledge about ADR reporting,attitudes and barriers towards reporting ADR and recommendations to improve ADR reporting. Of 300 questionnaires sent, 163 were returned (respond rate 54.3%). Of the respondents, 81 per cent claimed that they knew about spontaneous reporting system in Malaysia. All the respondents (163; 100%) believed that ADR reporting is part of their responsibility. Factors that encourage them to report included reaction that is serious in nature (145; 89.9%), reaction that was unusual (134; 82.2%) and reaction to a new product (120; 73.6%). The factors that refrained pharmacists to report ADR were insufficient information from the patient (89, 54.6%), reaction is assumed to be already well known (79; 48.5%), too busy to report (58; 35.6%) and forget to report (52;31.9%). Education and training (114; 69.9%) and feedback (104; 63.8%) were the suggested methods to improve ADR reporting. Pharmacists in Malaysia are knowledgeable and have positive attitude towards ADR reporting. Education and training of ADR could be use as one of planning strategies to improve reporting rate in Malaysia.