Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting among Healthcare Physicians in Low and Middle-Income Countries: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Because of the paucity of financial, infrastructural, and human resources in low and middle-income countries (LMICs), it is crucial to explore the current knowledge gap and pharmacovigilance practice to adequately deploy resources. To determine the knowledge and practices of ADR among HCPs, we distributed pre-defined questionnaire forms among 1500 HCPs representing 11 LMICs between April 2017 and March 2020. The data was analyzed through Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22, and frequency and percentages were presented for categorical variables, whereas the comparison of Pakistan and other LMICs was evaluated by performing a χ2 test. P-value 0.05 was taken as the level of significance between responses. Among 1246 (83%) responses, the majority, 846 (68%), had >3 years of work experience and were males, 805 (64%). Total 788 (63%) responders correctly identified the International Conference for Harmonization-ADR definition, 578 (47%) indicated that all type of reactions should be reported, 167 (14%) believed that anyone can report ADR and only 17 (1.4%) correctly indicated that Drug-Drug Interactions, Medication-errors & Drug-Food Interactions can likely cause ADRs. A total of 562 (45%) participants reported at least one ADR during their practice, and 269 (48%) preferred reporting in their institution. The study findings suggested that HCPs from LMICs have relatively better knowledge about ADR than its reporting. The ADR reporting culture can further be improved through training, awareness programs, and by identifying potential barriers to underreporting.