The Knowledge and Attitude of the Healthcare Professionals towards Pharmacovigilance and Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting in Northern Cyprus

Background: Adverse drug reaction (ADR) is a response to a medicinal product which is noxious and unintended. Spontaneous reporting of ADRs has remained the cornerstone of pharmacovigilance and is important in maintaining patient safety. Therefore, we aimed to assess knowledge and attitude of the health professionals towards pharmacovigilance and ADR reporting. Method: A face to face questionnaire was conducted with 90 community pharmacists, 98 nurses and 71 physicians in Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), who consented to participate in the study. Results: Of those that did respond, only 13% of the pharmacists, 2% of the nurses and 20% of the physicians had knowledge about ‘pharmacovigilance’. Respectively 32%, 12% and 54% of participants stated that their patients reported them an ADR within the recent year, but only 10% of the pharmacists and 3% of nurses and physicians stated that they sent an ADR report to the concerned organization. The common reasons for under-reporting was stated as lack of knowledge of where/how to report, lack of time, ADR reporting being not mandatory, belief that it was not their responsibility, hesitation about their clinical knowledge, avoiding the professional liability. Conclusion: The results show that the healthcare professionals in Northern Cyprus have insufficient knowledge about pharmacovigilance. Therefore, it seems there is an extensive need for a training program about pharmacovigilance and ADR reporting.