Examining characteristics, knowledge, attitude and practice of pharmacovigilance by health care professionals in Sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review of the literature

Abstract

The pharmacovigilance practices aim to improve the safety and care of patient in relation to the utilization of medications, as well as other medical and paramedical interventions. Due to emergence of outbreaks of infections, the sub-Saharan African countries have been widely utilizing the trial drugs, which have been increasing the events of Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) in the region. This systematic literature review aims to examine the characteristics, knowledge, attitude and pharmacovigilance practices performed by health care professionals in sub-Saharan Africa. This systematic review included N=7 studies, published between 2010 and 2020, and dealing with characteristics, knowledge, attitude and pharmacovigilance practices performed by health care professionals of sub-Saharan African region were extracted from CINAHL, Science Direct, and PubMed. Seven journal articles were selected through PRISMA research tool to identify the key factors which included inadequate training, under-reporting, knowledge assessment, practice, and good attitude. All selected studies were published in sub-Saharan Africa for this systematic review. The healthcare professionals working in the region of sub-Sahara Africa lack expertise in pharmacovigilance practices, due to lack of awareness, unavailability of support, and several other factors. Pharmacovigilance practices can be improved by arranging education, training, and role-play sessions for them.