Adverse Drug Reactions Reporting by Doctors in the Greater Accra Region
Date
2012-07
Authors
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Publisher
University of Ghana
Abstract
Background: Spontaneous reporting is the most efficient and cost effective method of
monitoring the safety of registered drugs. The programme was launched in Ghana in June
2001. The spontaneous adverse drug reaction system is affected by underreporting by
doctors and other healthcare professionals; there is however, limited knowledge about the
factors that contribute to low reporting of adverse drug reactions and the reporting rate in
Ghana.
Objective: The general objective of this study is to review the spontaneous adverse drug
reaction reporting system in the Greater Accra region of Ghana.
Methods: The study was a cross sectional survey of 259 doctors involved in clinical
practice in 23 hospitals classified as government 199 (76.8%), quasi-governmental
43(16.6%) and private 17 (6.6%) hospitals in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. The
questionnaire was self-administered by the doctors. The 23 hospitals in which the
questionnaires were distributed were selected at random and the doctors within the
hospitals by convenient sampling. All analysis was done using STATA Version 10 and
histograms constructed with MS Excel, 2007.
Findings: The response rate in this study was 86.3%. Of the 259 doctors who completed
the questionnaire, 154 (59.5%) had seen a patient with suspected adverse drug reaction in
the past one year but only 31 (21%) of them had reported it by completing the
spontaneous adverse drug reaction reporting form. The reasons given by the doctors for
not reporting were unavailability of the reporting form (43.1%) and lack of knowledge of
the reporting procedures (28.5%). One hundred and twenty-one (46.9%) of the doctors
had excellent knowledge and 32 (12.4%) had good knowledge of the reporting system.
Place of work, rank of the doctor, training and knowledge of the reporting system were
significantly associated with adverse drug reaction reporting. Doctors working in
government hospitals were about 5 times more likely to report than those in private
hospitals [OR=4.94, 95%CI (1.55-15.69)] and medical officers about twice likely to
report than other ranks [OR=1.77, 95%CI (0.93-3.40)].
Conclusion and Recommendation: Despite the fact that about 47% of the doctors had
excellent knowledge of the reporting system, this was not translated into adverse drug
reaction reporting. To improve reporting, the reporting forms should be made readily
available to the doctors in their consulting rooms and patient wards, training and refresher
courses should be organized, and each report submitted by a doctor should be
acknowledged and prompt feedback given on the actions taken.
Description
Thesis (MPH) - University of Ghana, 2012