title: Community pharmacists' knowledge, behaviors and experiences about adverse drug reaction reporting in Saudi Arabia.
abstract: To assess community pharmacists' knowledge, behaviors and experiences relating to Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR) reporting in Saudi Arabia.
  
  
  
  A cross-sectional study was conducted using a validated self-administered questionnaire. A convenience sample of 147 community pharmacists working in community pharmacies in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
  
  
  
  The questionnaire was distributed to 147 pharmacists, of whom 104 responded to the survey, a 70.7% response rate. The mean age of participants was 29 years. The majority (n = 101, 98.1%) had graduated with a bachelorette degree and worked in chain pharmacies (n = 68, 66.7%). Only 23 (22.1%) said they were familiar with the ADR reporting process, and only 21 (20.2%) knew that pharmacists can submit ADR reports online. The majority of the participants (n = 90, 86.5%) had never reported ADRs. Reasons for not reporting ADRs most importantly included lack of awareness about the method of reporting (n = 22, 45.9%), misconception that reporting ADRs is the duty of physician and hospital pharmacist (n = 8, 16.6%) and ADRs in community pharmacies are simple and should not be reported (n = 8, 16.6%). The most common approach perceived by community pharmacists for managing patients suffering from ADRs was to refer him/her to a physician (n = 80, 76.9%).
  
  
  
  The majority of community pharmacists in Riyadh have poor knowledge of the ADR reporting process. Pharmacovigilance authorities should take necessary steps to urgently design interventional programs in order to increase the knowledge and awareness of pharmacists regarding the ADR reporting process.
authors.affiliation: Medication Safety Research Chair, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Mansour Adam
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Mahmoud
authors.affiliation: Medication Safety Research Chair, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Yazed
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Alsowaida
authors.affiliation: Medication Safety Research Chair, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia ; College of Pharmacy, Hail University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Thamir
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Alshammari
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Monash University, 46150 Bandar Sunway Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Tahir Mehmood
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.affiliation: Discipline of Social and Administrative Pharmacy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Alian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alrasheedy
authors.affiliation: Discipline of Social and Administrative Pharmacy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Mohamad Azmi
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Hassali
authors.affiliation: Medication Safety Research Chair, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Hisham
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Aljadhey
keywords: Community pharmacists; Knowledge; Misconception; Riyadh; Saudi Arabia