title: Adverse drug reactions reporting: a questionnaire-based study on Egyptian pharmacists' attitudes following an awareness workshop.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Hospital pharmacists can promote medication safety through spontaneous reporting of adverse drug reactions (ADRs). However, different educational interventions and different factors (socio-demographic and professional) have been implicated to influence the reporting process. The aims of this study were to assess the impact of pharmacovigilance awareness workshop on knowledge of hospital pharmacists; and to identify the main factors and barriers that influence ADRs reporting.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two validated self-administered questionnaires were distributed to pharmacists attending an awareness workshop (pre and post); and a telephone survey was completed three months after the workshop. ADR reports (yellow cards) received from participating pharmacists were monitored for six months, and analysed for quality (validity and seriousness) and reporter demographic and professional factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two hundred and eighty-one pharmacists (95.25%) and 270 pharmacists (91.52%) completed pre- and post-workshop questionnaires respectively. A comparison of their knowledge of ADRs to report before and after the workshop showed significant difference (Wilcoxon test P < 0.05). Two hundred and four pharmacists (72.6%) completed the follow-up questionnaire, with lack of time, administrative barriers and inability to complete patient details being the most frequent reasons for not reporting. A total of 163 yellow cards were received from 49 pharmacists (17.44%) over 6 months, of which 126 reports (77.3%) were serious ADRs. Demographics of reporting pharmacists showed significance for completion of post-graduate studies, ministry of health hospitals and pharmacist post in hospital.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite pharmacists' adequate knowledge after the workshop, they failed to maintain consistent reporting. Addressing the barriers to reporting and the personal factors influencing the process may be needed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
authors.forename: Nehal A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Alraie
authors.affiliation: Egyptian Pharmacovigilance Center, Central Administration for Pharmaceutical Affairs, Cairo, Egypt.
authors.forename: Amr A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Saad
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
authors.forename: Nirmeen A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Sabry
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
authors.forename: Samar F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Farid
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016907:Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting Systems; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D004534:Egypt; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010595:Pharmacists / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Egypt; adverse drug reactions; hospital pharmacists; spontaneous reporting