Adverse drug reactions reporting by physicians in Ibadan, Nigeria.

OBJECTIVE

To assess knowledge, extent of reporting and factors influencing reports of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) by resident doctors.

STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING

Study site was the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, an 850-bed tertiary care hospital in western Nigeria. It was a cross-sectional survey. Data were collected with a 46-item self-administered questionnaire from 192 clinical physicians.

RESULTS

Older aged doctors, senior cadre and doctors in medical faculty were 1.5 times likely to be aware of ADR reporting guidelines. General knowledge on ADR was good while 58.3% of residents knew the burden of ADRs. Most (89.5%) had observed at least one ADR but only 32% had ever reported it. Residents in medical faculty were twice more likely to report ADRs than the surgeons [OR 2.1; 95%CI 1.1, 4.1]. The commonest factors that militate against ADR reporting were lack of knowledge that reporting forms were available (70.9%) and ignorance of reporting procedure (69%).

CONCLUSION

Despite high observation and good knowledge of ADR among doctors, the rate of reporting was low. There is need for publicity of activities of the pharmacovigilance unit of the hospital.