Spontaneous reporting of adverse drug reactions: nurses’ perception

Abstract

Introduction: Spontaneous reporting of adverse drug reactions is the basis of pharmacovigilance, the main objective of which is to ensure the safe use of drugs, particularly cytotoxics, through continuous monitoring of adverse events caused by them. The aims of this study were to investigate the perception of nurses towards pharmacovigilance, and identify reasons for under-reporting of adverse reactions to cytotoxic drugs in Morocco. Methods: Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 nurses in charge of administering cytotoxics drugs in the Pediatric Hemato-Oncology Department of the Children’s Hospital in Rabat in 2019. The interviews were recorded, then transcribed and analyzed. Results: From this study, positive attitudes towards the reporting of adverse drug reactions by nurses were shown. Nevertheless, an insufficient level of knowledge of pharmacovigilance by the participants was showed. Lack of training was the main cause of this lack of knowledge. Conclusion: This study showed a positive perception of nurses towards pharmacovigilance and ADR reporting despite insufficient knowledge. The integration of pharmacovigilance modules in the training curriculum of nurses will help to improve ADR reporting.