Volume 1, Issue 4, December 2009, Pages 250–251
Background
It
is well known worldwide, that Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) are an
important cause of morbidity and mortality in developed countries. In
Portugal, as in many other countries, ADR reporting rate is rather low 1, 2 and 3,
and as a consequence there is a lack of information being transmitted
to the Medicines Regulatory Authority, which does not effectively
represent the real number of adverse events.
Objective
Our aim was to increase the number and relevance of ADR reporting among pharmacists, with workshops and telephone interviews.
Method
We conducted a cluster-randomized controlled trial, among pharmacists working in the Northern region of Portugal.
Results
The
ADR reporting rate increased 3-fold as a result of this action
(RR=3.22; 95% CI 95%: 1.33–7.80) compared with the control group, during
the studied period. Besides, the relevance of ADR reported was also
increased. In fact, serious ADR reports increased 4-fold (RR=3.87; 95%
CI: 1.29–11.61) and unexpected ADR reports increased 5-fold (RR=5.02;
95% CI: 1.33–18.93), compared with the control group.
Conclusions
Educational
interventions are efficient in increasing the ADR spontaneous reporting
rate, among Portuguese pharmacists. Among this professional group,
workshops are as efficient as telephone interview to improve ADR
spontaneous reporting.
Copyright © 2009 Published by Elsevier GmbH
