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Introduction: The purpose of this study was to evaluate Saudi undergraduate pharmacy students' knowledge, attitude, and readiness towards pharmacovigilance and reporting of adverse drug reactions (ADRs)., Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted between January 15, 2016 and February 18, 2016 using a structured, validated and pilot-tested questionnaire among senior (year 4, 5, and 6) undergraduate pharmacy students enrolled at a governmental or private university/college. Students completed an online 27-item questionnaire developed using Google Forms™. The questionnaire consisted of four sections: demographics; knowledge about pharmacovigilance and ADR reporting; attitudes towards ADR reporting; and pharmacy students' readiness towards ADR reporting., Results: Two hundred and fifty-nine students completed the questionnaire. Most of the participants were females (n=174; 67.2%) and were year 4 (n=128; 49.4%) students. Out of a total possible score of seven, the mean knowledge score (SD) was 4.15 (1.1). Multiple linear regression showed that after adjusting for gender and program of study (BPharm/PharmD), year of the study was found to be an independent predictor (p=0.03) of the total knowledge score. More than half of the respondents (n=166; 64.1%) acknowledged that they do not know how to report ADRs to the relevant authorities in Saudi Arabia. The majority (n=213; 82.2%) of respondents believed that information on how to report ADRs should be taught to senior pharmacy students., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To assess senior pharmacy students' knowledge of and perceptions about pharmacovigilance and reporting of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) at 5 public universities in Malaysia., Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between December 1, 2010, and January 31, 2010, using a validated self-administered questionnaire delivered to a sample of 510 final-year (fourth-year) pharmacy students at 5 Malaysian public universities., Results: Four hundred twenty-one (84%) students responded to the survey. About 60% (n = 240) indicated that they had taken courses on the concept of pharmacovigilance during their current pharmacy curriculum. The mean score for knowledge about pharmacovigilance and ADR reporting was 6.9 ± 1.4. There was a significant difference in the mean scores for knowledge about pharmacovigilance across the 5 universities. The majority (82.3%) of respondents felt it was necessary to confirm the causal relationship between the drug and the ADR. About 57.8% (n = 241) of the respondents believed that pharmacy students are competent and capable of reporting ADRs during their clerkships. The majority (87.0%) of respondents perceived that pharmacy students should be taught how to report ADRs., Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrate that the majority of final-year pharmacy students in Malaysian public universities have insufficient knowledge about pharmacovigilance and ADR reporting.

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the knowledge, attitude and barriers of pharmacy technicians and pharmacists toward pharmacovigilance, adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and ADR reporting in community pharmacies in Yemen.Methods: This cross-sectional survey was conducted among community pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in the capital of Yemen, Sana'a. A total of 289 community pharmacies were randomly selected. The validated and pilot-tested questionnaire consisted of six sections: demographic data, knowledge about pharmacovigilance, experience with ADR reporting, attitudes toward ADR reporting, and the facilitators to improve ADR reporting.Results: A total of 428 pharmacy technicians and pharmacists were contacted and 179 went on to complete a questionnaire (response rate: 41.8%). Of the 179 respondents, 21 (11.7%) were pharmacists and 158 (88.3%) were pharmacy technicians, of which, 176 (98.3%) were male and 3 (1.7%) were female. The mean age of the respondents was 25.87±2.63 years. There was a significant difference between the pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in terms of knowledge scores (P<0.05). The mean knowledge scores for pharmacists was 3.33±2.852 compared to 0.15±0.666 for pharmacy technicians. With regard to attitudes toward ADR reporting, all pharmacists (100%) showed a positive attitude, while only 43% of pharmacy technicians showed a positive attitude.Conclusion: Pharmacists have a significantly better knowledge than pharmacy technicians with regard to pharmacovigilance. More than half of pharmacy technicians showed a negative attitude toward ADR reporting. Therefore, educational interventions and training is very important for community pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in Yemen to increase their awareness and participation in ADR reporting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, adverse drug reactions (ADRs), one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality, will continue to pose a threat to public health as long as drugs are being used to treat various ailments. Prompt ADR reporting is crucial in ensuring drug safety. The aim of this narrative review was to highlight the role of pharmacists in pharmacovigilance and to identify barriers and facilitators toward ADR reporting documented in the literature. The perspective of pharmacy students on pharmacovigilance and ADR reporting has also been discussed with an aim to highlight the need to improve content related to ADR reporting and pharmacovigilance in undergraduate pharmacy curriculum. Globally, although the role of pharmacists within national pharmacovigilance systems varies, it is very well recognized. In general, pharmacists acknowledge that ADR reporting is part of their professional responsibility and have a positive attitude toward reporting ADRs. However, current research evidence suggests that there are still critical knowledge gaps with regard to ADR reporting among pharmacists, especially in countries where the role of pharmacists within the health care system is limited. These knowledge gaps can be fulfilled through continuous professional development programs and reinforcing theoretical and practical knowledge in undergraduate pharmacy curriculums. Without adequately identifying and fulfilling training needs of pharmacists and other health care professionals, the efficiency of national pharmacovigilance systems is unlikely to improve which may compromise patient's safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To evaluate knowledge, facilitators and barriers towards adverse drug reaction ( ADR) reporting among hospital pharmacists in Malaysia. Methods A questionnaire-based survey was conducted during July- August 2009. Survey participants were registered hospital pharmacists from 10 randomly chosen public hospitals. The validated and pilot-tested questionnaire consisted of four parts: demographic data, general knowledge about ADR reporting, attitudes and barriers towards ADR reporting and recommendations to improve ADR reporting. Key findings Altogether 300 questionnaires were mailed, and 163 returned (response rate of 54.3%). All respondents ( n = 163) believed that ADR reporting is part of their responsibility. The majority (89.6%) claimed to have reported an ADR in the past. Reactions of a serious nature (89.0%), unusual reactions (82.2%) and reactions to a new product (73.6%) were the most frequently cited reasons to report an ADR. Factors preventing pharmacists reporting ADRs were: insufficient information from the patient (54.6%), reaction assumed to be already well known (48.5%), too busy to report (35.6%) and forgot to report (31.9%). Suggested methods to improve ADR reporting included education and training in ADR detection and reporting (70%) and feedback from the relevant authorities (63.8%). Pharmacists with ≥3 years' working experience were more likely to report an ADR. However, the association was not statistically significant ( P = 0.08). Conclusion Malaysian hospital pharmacists are well informed about the national pharmacovigilance system and consider ADR reporting to be part of their professional responsibility. Education and training in ADR reporting can be used as one of the planning strategies to improve the reporting rate in Malaysia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the impact of pharmacist recruitment on adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting in Malaysia. It notes that all ADR reports across the country are received and screened by the Malaysian Adverse Drug Reaction Advisory Committee (MADRAC) within the National Center for Adverse Drug Reaction Monitoring. The author also notes that contribution of community pharmacists in ADR detection poses the need for further education and training.