Clinical impact of a drug information service provided by a pharmacovigilance centre in a French University Hospital

PURPOSE: Pharmacovigilance Centres (PVCs) provide independent drug information to healthcare professionals in addition to their pharmacovigilance activities. However, their impact on clinical decision-making has been poorly studied. This study assessed the impact of a French PVC on clinical management in a tertiary university hospital (Toulouse University Hospital). METHODS: We conducted a retrospective observational study including all drug-related enquiries submitted to the Toulouse PVC during 2024. Impact was evaluated according to three predefined criteria: whether the enquiry was submitted before or after a clinical management decision had been made, concordance between PVC recommendations and subsequent clinical management, and documentation of the advice in the electronic patient record. Based on these criteria, impact was classified as certain, probable, or uncertain for enquiries submitted before clinical management, and as confirmatory (validating an already implemented decision) or uncertain for enquiries submitted after clinical management had already been initiated. RESULTS: A total of 128 enquiries were analysed. Most concerned adverse drug reactions (111/128), involved hospitalised patients (100/128), and originated from a broad range of clinical departments, mainly geriatrics (14/128), gastroenterology (11/128), neurology (11/128), infectious diseases (10/128) and internal medicine (10/128). Overall, clinical management was concordant with PVC recommendations in 87% of cases. Among the 92 pre-decision enquiries, PVC impact was classified as certain in 62% and probable in 24% of cases. Among the 36 post-decision enquiries, PVC advice was confirmatory in 44% of cases. The enquiries also generated 50 pharmacovigilance reports, including one potential safety signal. CONCLUSION: PVCs support both clinical decision-making and drug safety surveillance.