Kien Seang Kwong

Abstract

Background: The World Health Organization identifies adverse drug reactions (ADRs) as unintentional and harmful reactions to drugs, which are among the leading causes of death in many nations. ADR under-reporting is a threat to pharmacovigilance. Objective: The objectives of this study were to evaluate the knowledge, practices & attitudes towards ADR reporting among public healthcare professionals and to determine factors that lead to underreporting of ADR in public health facilities (hospitals and clinics) in West Pahang, Malaysia. Methods: This was a cross-sectional, questionnaire-based observational study conducted in 2021 with respondents consisting of healthcare professionals from all hospitals and health clinics in West Pahang. Data was collected from March 2021 to April 2021 via a validated questionnaire. Results: A total of 400 questionnaires were distributed and 344 healthcare professionals took part in the study, with an 86% response rate. The majority of survey respondents selected positive responses in the area of knowledge and attitude, but not in the area of practice for ADR reporting. It was found that 95.3% of respondents had good knowledge, 11% had good practices and 52% had good attitudes towards ADR reporting. Over half of respondents (53.2%) believed that it is nearly impossible to conclude that a drug is the cause of a particular adverse event. Fifty percent of respondents believed they would be held accountable for the ADR which occurred once they reported it. The majority of the respondents (68%) thought that really serious ADRs were already documented when the drugs were marketed. Conclusion: The majority of healthcare professionals in West Pahang showed good knowledge and attitude, but poor practice in ADR reporting. Insecurity, fear of admitting harm, complacency, and ignorance were the discouraging factors that led to the underreporting of ADR among healthcare professionals from West Pahang.