Investigating the Impact of Existing Pharmacovigilance Systems in Africa and How They Influence Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting by Nurses, Doctors and Pharmacists Working in Federal Government Hospitals - A Case Study of Nigeria

Abstract

Background: The primary concern of Pharmacovigilance (PV) is to strengthen patient care and improve public safety in terms of effective use of medication. The aim of this research was to analyse the impact of the existing Pharmacovigilance systems in the African region and its significant impact on adverse drug reactions (ADRs) reported by the Doctors, Pharmacists, and Nurses working in Federal-State Hospitals in Nigeria. Methods: The research design opted for this study is constructed on a questionnaire-based quantitative design that has helped in determining the correlation between Healthcare Professionals (HCP) training and awareness of ADR reporting incidences in different federal government hospital settings of Nigeria. Results: The Pearson chi-square test of independence with df = 2 yields chi-square = 101.4 (n = 318, p < 0.05, phi = 0.565), affirming that there is a statistically significant relationship between the awareness of ADR-reporting system and professions. Conclusion: The findings revealed that a majority of pharmacist and doctors possessed a good knowledge regarding PV, whereas the majority of nurses had poor knowledge about PV.