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. 2018 Aug 11;9(10):585-590.
doi: 10.1177/2042098618790209. eCollection 2018 Oct.

Adverse drug reaction reporting in a large tertiary hospital in Saudi Arabia: results of an incentive strategy

Sheraz Ali  1 , Oluwaseun Egunsola  2 , Dalal Salem Al-Dossari  3 , Ibrahim Abdulaziz Al-Zaagi  3
Affiliations

Adverse drug reaction reporting in a large tertiary hospital in Saudi Arabia: results of an incentive strategy

Sheraz Ali et al. Ther Adv Drug Saf. .

Abstract

Background: Underreporting is a common problem with spontaneous adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting. In this study, we aim to describe the reporting of ADRs in a tertiary hospital and determine the effect of incentives to healthcare professionals on ADR reporting.

Methods: In this interventional study, a time series analysis was used to determine the effect of incentives on ADR reporting in a tertiary hospital between 2015 and 2016. The incentive strategy included public commendation of health care providers and nomination for a monthly award.

Results: A total of 967 ADRs were reported over a 2-year period. After the introduction of incentives in January 2016, the number of ADR reports per month increased by 40.6 (95% confidence interval: 26.1-55.1). The proportion of serious ADRs reported was significantly higher in 2016 (39/800) than 2015 (0/167) (p < 0.001). In 2016, there was a significant association between profession and serious ADR reporting (p < 0.001). A total of 14/21 ADRs (66.7%) reported by physicians in 2016 were serious compared with 20/700 (2.9%) reported by clinical pharmacists and 5/72 (6.9%) by nurses.

Conclusions: ADR reporting was improved by providing incentives, including commendation and reward, to healthcare professionals.

Keywords: Middle-East; drug safety; pharmacovigilance.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Proportion of adverse drug reactions reported for specific drugs pre- and postintervention. ADR, adverse drug reaction.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Monthly adverse drug reaction reports before and after intervention. ADR, adverse drug reaction.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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