Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting among Healthcare Workers in a Tertiary Centre in Northern Nigeria

Purpose: To determine the knowledge, attitude and practice of ADR monitoring and reporting among healthcare workers in a teaching hospital in Kano, Nigeria
Methods: The study was cross-sectional and questionnaire-based involving mainly medical doctors, nurses and pharmacists working in different departments of the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital hospital. A total of 110 questionnaires were distributed to the respondents (60 doctors, 40 nurses, 10 pharmacists). The completion of the questionnaire by respondents was taken as their consent to participate in the study.
Results: Only 65 respondents filled and returned the questionnaire within the stipulated time frame giving a response rate of about 59.1 %. The standard yellow reporting form for adverse drug reactions was only known to 35.9 % of the participating health care workers. Only 42.7 % of the respondents had ever reported an adverse drug reaction and the report was verbal in over 75 % of cases. Ignorance of the rules and procedures of reporting, lack of knowledge of the forms for reporting and which ADRs to report were some of the factors responsible for non-reporting of adverse drug reactions among respondents in the study
Conclusion: Adverse drug reaction reporting using the yellow card reporting scheme is low among health care workers (doctors, nurses and pharmacists) in Kano, Nigeria. There is a need for regular training and re-enforcement of guidelines for ADR reporting among health care personnel. The inclusion of nurses in pharmacovigilance will go a long way in improving reporting of ADRs.

Keywords
Adverse drug reactions; Knowledge, attitude and practice; Health care workers; Yellow card reporting scheme