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Community pharmacists’ knowledge and perspectives of reporting adverse drug reactions in Australia: a cross‑sectional survey

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posted on 2023-05-19, 20:24 authored by Li, R, Colin CurtainColin Curtain, Luke BereznickiLuke Bereznicki, Syed Razi ZaidiSyed Razi Zaidi

Background: Under-reporting of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) by healthcare professionals is prevalent worldwide. Community pharmacists are the most frequently visited healthcare professional and are well placed to document ADRs as a part of their routine practice.

Objective: To measure community pharmacists’ knowledge and perspectives towards ADR reporting and their reporting practices.

Setting: Community pharmacists in the New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania, Australia.

Method: A survey tool consisting of 28 items was developed, piloted and validated by a panel of expert reviewers. The fnal anonymised survey was distributed online to community pharmacists. Exploratory factor analysis and Cronbach’s alpha were used to measure the validity and reliability of the tool, respectively. Non-parametric statistical tests were used to analyse knowledge, perspectives and ADR reporting practices.

Main outcome measures: Knowledge, perceived importance, enablers and barriers to reporting ADRs.

Results: The survey tool showed acceptable validity and reliability. A total of 232 respondents completed the survey. The median knowledge score was 5 out of 10 (interquartile range, 2). Less than a third of respondents (31.0%) reported sufcient knowledge and training on ADR reporting. Only 35.3% of pharmacists reported at least one ADR in the previous 12 months. Non-reporting pharmacists were more likely to report lack of time as a barrier (P<0.001), conversely they were more likely to report if the practice was remunerated (P=0.007). Conclusion Underreporting of ADRs by community pharmacists is highly prevalent. Initiatives to educate and train them on ADR reporting and simplifying the reporting process may improve reporting practices.

History

Publication title

International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy

Volume

40

Issue

4

Pagination

878--889

ISSN

2210-7703

Department/School

School of Pharmacy and Pharmacology

Publisher

Springer Netherlands

Place of publication

Netherlands

Rights statement

© The Author(s) 2018. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Repository Status

  • Open

Socio-economic Objectives

Other health not elsewhere classified

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