Adverse drug reaction reporting by community pharmacists—The barriers and facilitators

Abstract

Purpose The United Kingdom's “Yellow Card Scheme” for reporting of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) has been operating for 50 years, but reporting rates by community pharmacists remain low. The aim of the study was therefore to investigate the views and experiences of ADR reporting by community pharmacists in Wales, with a particular focus on the potential barriers and facilitators to reporting. Methods Following ethics approval and piloting, a self‐complete questionnaire was mailed to all registered community pharmacies in Wales, UK (n = 713). A follow‐up mailing was sent to nonresponders after 2 weeks. Results A response rate of 52% (n = 372) was achieved, of whom 57% had never submitted a yellow card. Key barriers to reporting were not seeing ADRs, difficulty identifying the causative drug, not being sure which ADRs to report, and lack of time. Key facilitators were being able to report through dispensary software and having clearer guidelines about what to report. Differences between those who had previously reported ADRs and those who had not suggested lack of confidence and uncertainty about what to report were more of a barrier for nonreporters. Conversely, reporters wanted feedback on reports, ability to keep reports on their dispensary records, and remuneration to aid them with reporting. Conclusions While the respondents generally expressed positive attitudes towards ADR reporting, a number of barriers and potential facilitators were nevertheless identified. Clearer support and guidance for reporting, such as through a “champions” scheme similar to that run in Welsh hospitals, may help current nonreporters to engage.

The Participation Of Private Healthcare Facilities In Pharmacovigilance Activities: A Case Study In Tanzania Mainland

“…Spontaneous reporting is of importance in early detections and prevention of new, rare and serious ADRs, ME and poor quality products, even though it is not routinely done in many sub-Saharan African countries. The level of under-reporting ADRs, ME and poor quality products is very high across the globe (6)(7)(8)(9). Key causes of under reporting have been identified which include but not limited to uncertainty on what to report, lack of time, lack of knowledge on PV, lack of feedback on submitted reports, motivation and indifference (6,(9)(10)(11).…”

“…The level of under-reporting ADRs, ME and poor quality products is very high across the globe (6)(7)(8)(9). Key causes of under reporting have been identified which include but not limited to uncertainty on what to report, lack of time, lack of knowledge on PV, lack of feedback on submitted reports, motivation and indifference (6,(9)(10)(11). Other causes includes, complacency, lawsuit concerns, concerns of implicating other healthcare professionals (HCPs) peer pressures and not being confident with reporting procedures (6,10,11).…”

A retrospective analysis of reporting of adverse drug reactions over 4 years in a primary care health clinic in Malaysia

“…We respectfully take issue with the recent article published in the journal by Hughes and Weiss which offers a valuable and thoughtful documentation of various barriers and potential facilitators to reporting of adverse drug reactions (ADRs). While pharmacists generally expressed positive attitudes towards the reporting, they identified some key obstacles to ADR reporting, including lack of observed ADRs, lack of time to report as well as difficulty in determining the causative drug …”

“…In line with the Industrial Revolution 4.0, digital platforms such as smartphone apps should be utilized in conjunction with regular pharmacovigilance reports disseminated to ensure the sustainability of drug safety surveillance programme as well as an ADR and Drug Allergy microchip to be embedded in the national identity card or passport so that the individual clinical information can be accessed by all healthcare practitioners in public and private sectors. It is hoped that through this systematically designed and output‐driven strategy targeting the barriers and potential facilitators pointed out in the study by Hughes and Weiss, it will be able to yield a positive impact on the reporting of ADRs, ultimately ensuring patient safety.…”

Pharmacy‐led pharmacovigilance: Ready for use or missed opportunity?

“…In this issue of the journal, two different perspectives from Europe, ie, from Wales in the United Kingdom and Poland, are presented on the increasing, but also challenging, role of pharmacists in pharmacovigilance . This is not a new voice, and also in other regions (eg, United States, Saudi Arabia, and China) in the world, similar experiences on the potential contribution of pharmacists to pharmacovigilance are flagged and shared.…”