Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting among Community Pharmacists in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana

Abstract

Background: Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are a significant cause of mortality and morbidity across the globe. Spontaneous reporting systems are the commonest means of reporting adverse drug reactions with the overall aim of protecting patients from the harmful effects of medications. ADR reporting is however low among healthcare professionals due to several factors. A large number of Ghanaians often visit community pharmacies as the first point of call to access healthcare; however, there is limited knowledge about the factors that influence adverse drug reaction reporting among community pharmacists in Ghana. Objective: This study had the overall objective of assessing ADR reporting among community pharmacists in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. It also investigated factors affecting reporting and how to improve adverse drug reaction reporting among community pharmacists. Methods: The study was a cross-sectional survey of 210 community pharmacists in the Greater Accra Region. The pharmacists were randomly sampled from community pharmacies across the region. Data collection was by a self-administered questionnaire and all analysis carried out using STATA Version 13. Findings: Two hundred and ten filled questionnaires were returned out of the two hundred and fifty administered, giving a response rate of 84%. Among the 210 pharmacists who took part in the study, 93 had seen a patient with a suspected adverse drug reaction in the past one year. However, only 16% of them reported by filling an ADR form. Ninety-six percent of the pharmacists who participated in the study had heard of ADR reporting in Ghana. Eighteen percent of pharmacists had never seen the ADR reporting form. Twenty-four percent did not know where to obtain the reporting form and thirty-seven percent did not know where to submit the form on completion. The main reason given by the pharmacists who failed to report suspected ADRs was the unavailability of reporting forms (77%). Uncertainty about causality of the ADR (20.5%) and the fact that some of the pharmacists considered the reaction as “normal” with the medication in question (21.8%) were other reasons given. About 56% of pharmacists had excellent knowledge about the reporting system in Ghana. Age, gender and training were all found not to be significantly associated with ADR reporting (p-values, 0.24, 0.49 & 0.40). Conclusion and Recommendation: ADR reporting by community pharmacists remains low despite the efforts of the Food and Drugs Authority to sensitize pharmacists about its importance. To improve the proportion of reporting, the reporting forms should be made widely available in all pharmacies with continuous professional development in the area of Pharmacovigilance.