A Study on Creating Awareness of Adverse Drug Reactions in Community Pharmacists in Bangalore

Abstract

Background: Drug related effects may lead to hospitalization, patient suffering and economic burden. Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR) monitoring and reporting system helps in detection and prevention of reoccurrence of some common and also rarest adverse drug reactions. The objective of this study was to create awareness among the selected community pharmacists and to improve their level of understanding about monitoring and reporting of adverse drug reactions to the pharmacovigilance centre around the facility. Method: The resent prospective study was conducted in hundred community pharmacists (chain & private pharmacies) for a period of nine months in and around Bangalore city. The aim of our study was to create awareness in select community pharmacists about the adverse drug reactions by presenting visual presentation, displaying awareness posters at each pharmacies and distribution of yellow cards. Results: All the 100 respondents showed 100% response about the knowledge of ADRs, where to obtain the ADR forms and reporting of ADRs. 99% of the respondents became aware of reporting ADRs. 96% of respondents were aware that reporting of ADRs is an integral part of pharmaceutical care. Voluntary reporting of ADRs is agreed by 90% of the respondents. Only 8% of the respondents had received reports of ADRs from the patients and only 1% of respondents had reported an ADR. Hence, educating and training the pharmacists about the program was an important element which will improve and motivate community pharmacists to participate in reporting ADRs. Conclusion: The study reveals that awareness showed a positive response in improving the knowledge about ADRs. Well trained pharmacists in the area of ADR detection, reporting and monitoring will prove to be an asset in providing better patient care. Several approaches like continuing medical education (CME), training programmes, seminars and conferences adopted by the regulatory authorities would stimulate and become mandatory to the community pharmacists to be an integral part of reporting in ADR.

Knowledge, attitude and practice of pharmacovigilance among community pharmacists in Delhi, India

“…23,24 This finding is also consistent with the study from Saudi Arabia where lack of knowledge about PhV programme, where to report and how to report ADRs were revealed as major barriers in reporting of ADRs. 25 Result pertaining to knowledge of community pharmacists regarding ADRs monitoring and reporting system was in agreement with other national and international studies which found that majority of pharmacists were not aware of PhV programme and its elements.…”

“…13,22,24,27 Similar to other studies in the past, we found that 66% of community pharmacists felt that patients will get benefit from ADRs reporting but majority of them never try to find ADRs (96%) and never reported ADRs (90%). 22,23 Contrary to 32.6% of participants in study by Prakasam et al, 77% of participants in our study felt that ADRs reporting will spoil their image in general public as well as create differences with prescribers. This could be one of the reasons for not reporting ADRs.…”

“…11,[19][20][21] In our study only 17% respondents correctly defined ADR contrary to 69.7% of pharmacists in a study by Suyagh M et al 22 Regarding knowledge about reporting of ADRs, Nagaraju K et al observed that 69% of pharmacists were not aware about the same; which was parallel with finding (66%) of our study. 23 Meta-analysis by Bhagavathula AS identified that the majority (81%) of pharmacists were unaware of PvPI in India. 18 Phone, 4%…”

“…25 Result pertaining to knowledge of community pharmacists regarding ADRs monitoring and reporting system was in agreement with other national and international studies which found that majority of pharmacists were not aware of PhV programme and its elements. 16,22,23,26 In this study, 74% of community pharmacists felt that reporting of ADRs should be necessary. Similarly Suyagh M. et al and Prakasam A et al found that majority of community pharmacists believe that reporting of ADRs should be necessary.…”

“…This could be one of the reasons for not reporting ADRs. 23 Prakasam A. et al reported that 56.1% community pharmacists were in favour of online reporting of ADRs followed by surface mail (17.1%). 23 In our study community pharmacists (86%) opined that ADRs reporting forms should be collected by someone from them periodically as they are unable to report themselves because of busy schedule.…”