Table 1.
Knowledge of health care professionals on adverse drug reactions (ADRs) (n = 200)
| Item | Pharmacist (n = 10) | Medical practitioner (n = 23) | Professional nurse (n = 89) | Post-basic pharmacist assistant (n = 78) | Total (n = 200) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number (%) of correct responses per health care professional category | ||||||
| Understanding the term ‘adverse drug reaction’ | 10 (100%) | 19 (82.6%) | 66 (74.2%) | 56 (71.8%) | 151 (75.6%) | |
| Know that ADRs must be reported | 10 (100%) | 18 (78.3%) | 87 (97.8%) | 70 (89.7%) | 185 (92.5%) | |
| Know of existence of an ADR reporting and monitoring system in district | 7 (70.0%) | 12 (52.1%) | 58 (65.2%) | 38 (48.7%) | 115 (57.5%) | |
| Know where to find the form to complete for reporting ADRs | 6 (60.0%) | 4 (17.4%) | 33 (37%) | 23 (29.5%) | 66 (33.0%) | |
| Know where the ADR reporting form must be submitted | 3 (30.0%) | 2 (8.7%) | 7 (7.9%) | 6 (7.7%) | 18 (9.0%) | |
| An event related to these items must be reported | Allopathic drugs | 9 (90.0%) | 15 (65.2%) | 55 (61.8%) | 40 (51.3%) | 119 (59.5%) |
| Herbal drugs | 9 (90.0%) | 15 (65.2%) | 56 (62.9%) | 41 (52.6%) | 121 (60.5%) | |
| Traditional and complementary medicine | 8 (80.0%) | 15 (65.2%) | 65 (73.0%) | 45 (57.7%) | 133 (66.5%) | |
| Blood products | 8 (80.0%) | 22 (95.7%) | 76 (85.4%) | 52 (66.7%) | 158 (79.0%) | |
| Biologicals | 9 (90.0%) | 18 (78.3%) | 64 (73.0%) | 47 (60.3%) | 138 (69.0%) | |
| Medical devices | 10 (100%) | 21 (91.3%) | 79 (88.8%) | 54 (69.2%) | 164 (82.0%) | |
| Vaccines | 8 (80.0%) | 22 (95.7%) | 81 (91.0%) | 61 (78.2%) | 172 (86.0%) | |
| Main objectives of pharmacovigilance in the public sector | Improve patient care and safety | 10 (100%) | 23 (100%) | 86 (96.6%) | 69 (88.5%) | 188 (94.0%) |
| Improve public health and safety | 10 (100%) | 23 (100%) | 84 (94.4%) | 68 (87.2%) | 185 (92.5%) | |
| Contribute to assessment of risk/benefit of medicines | 10 (100%) | 22 (95.7%) | 87 (97.8%) | 66 (84.6%) | 185 (92.5%) | |
| Promote understanding, education and clinical training in field | 9 (90.0%) | 23 (100%) | 84 (94.4%) | 67 (85.9%) | 183 (91.5%) | |
| Ensure effective communication of ADR reporting to public | 10 (100%) | 20 (87.0%) | 83 (93.3%) | 68 (87.2%) | 181 (90.5%) | |
| Mean and median (%) knowledge score on ADRs per health care professional category | ||||||
| Mean % (standard deviation) | 91.4 (12.3) | 82.8 (14.7) | 84.0 (17.0) | 72.2 (22.0) | 79.6* (19.6) | |
| Median % (quartile 1–quartile 3) | 95.2 (85.7–100) | 85.7 (71.4–95.2) | 90.0 (76.2–95.2) | 76.2 (61.9–90.5) | 85.7 (71.4–95.2) | |
*95% CI 76.9–82.3