Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting among Nurses and Midwives in the Sekondi -Takoradi Metropolis

Abstract

Drugs administered in hospitals for the treatment of diseases can also produce adverse effects in patients. Therefore, health care professionals should monitor and report adverse reactions when they occur to ensure the safety of patients. This study was conducted to assess Sekondi – Takoradi nurses and midwives knowledge and attitude on the ADR reporting system, ADR reporting rate and barriers to ADR reporting. A quantitative descriptive survey design was used to collect in four Government hospitals in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis. A census was employed as the sampling procedure and 529 respondents (328 nurses and 201 midwives) were used. Results from this study revealed that nurses and midwives in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis have moderate knowledge on pharmacovigilance and a negative attitude towards the reporting of adverse drug reaction. ADR reporting among nurses and midwives in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis was low and majority of the respondents had not received training on ADR reporting. The three top perceived barriers by nurses and midwives to ADR reporting were unawareness of the ADR reporting system, not knowing how to fill an ADR form and not receiving feedback after reporting an ADR. The findings of this study suggests that regular training of nurses and midwives on the ADR reporting system is needed to improve ADR reporting and pharmacovigilance.