Title
Effect of pharmacist involvement on patient reporting of adverse drug reactions in Bulgaria
Oral presentation
Description
Emanuyl Yordanov1, Deyan Rashkov1 , Emil Hristov1, Sava Ognyanov1, Tzvetomir Deliysky1, Kalina Andreevska2, Hristo Byrgazlyev 3, Daniela Grekova2, Zlatka Dimitrova1
1Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Sofia “St. Kliment Ohridski”, Sofia 2Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Plovdiv 3Medical college, University “Prof. Asen Zlatarov”, Bourgas
1Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Sofia “St. Kliment Ohridski”, Sofia 2Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Plovdiv 3Medical college, University “Prof. Asen Zlatarov”, Bourgas
Subject
Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality and contribute to the incidence of adverse events, resulting in increased healthcare costs. Pharmacists have an important responsibility in monitoring the ongoing safety of medicines. The aim of the study is to reveal what is the clinical responsibility of the pharmacist in the early detection of ADRs. A questionnaire was prepared to investigate knowledge and attitude of pharmacists regarding ADR reporting. The questionnaire was given to 415 pharmacists. The questionnaire includes questions on Factors Associated with ADR Reporting, which have been years of work experience as a pharmacist, the habit of detecting ADRs as part of pharmacists' duties, having the basic knowledge needed to report ADRs and the most frequently cited reasons for not reporting ADRs. 401 of the pharmacists surveyed work in an open-air pharmacy and 14 in a hospital pharmacy. 41.5% are managers of pharmacies. Lower reporting rates by pharmacists are observed in Bulgaria. Most of the respondents unanimously shared that they did not report on the ADRs either on the Bulgarian Drug Agency or the Yellow Card. Underreporting of ADRs is a common phenomenon in spontaneous post-marketing surveillance programs. Underreporting may delay signal detection and cause underestimation of the size of a problem. It is important to address within the pharmacy profession that ADR surveillance is a priority and a professional responsibility.