Barriers to adverse drug reaction reporting in community practice in the UAE

Objectives This study was aimed at quantification of the pharmacists under-reporting in the UAE community practice, and how do they respond to adverse drug events (ADEs) and the factors behind their acts. Methods A questionnaire-based technique is implemented in this study to quantify the factors contributing to under-reporting of pharmacists in the UAE. The questionnaire is randomly distributed to a sample of 230 pharmacists throughout the UAE. Pharmacists responded either online or manually. Chi-square and logistic regression analysis are used to quantify the collected data. Key findings A statistical analysis of a sample of 230 pharmacists, surveyed randomly, shows that 87.4% of them responded to the questionnaire, 73.6% follows the ADEs seriously, only 51.2% practiced reporting within the last 12 months while the remaining have not responded at all. The complexity of the reporting process, lack of reporting skills and graduation from outside UAE were identified as factors contributing significantly to non-reporting. Conclusions Place of graduation, the complexity of the reporting process and lack of reporting skills were identified as the main barriers hindering ADR reporting. To overcome these difficulties and enhance the reporting level, training programmes on P.V. system, spontaneous reporting and professional guidance of pharmacists should be implemented.