Characteristics of hospitals that report adverse drug reactions: Results of a nationwide survey in Japan

What is known and Objective Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are one of the primary reasons for hospitalization. The spontaneous reporting of ADRs by healthcare professionals is important for issuing post-marketing drug safety measures. The Japanese Society of Hospital Pharmacists (JSHP) conducts a nationwide survey annually. Using data from this large-scale survey, we identified the characteristics of hospitals that reported ADRs to regulatory authorities and pharmaceutical companies. Methods Data were obtained from annual surveys conducted by JSHP from 2015 to 2020. All variables were expressed as categorical variables and tabulated. The Chi-square test was used to compare the categorical variables. The Cochran-Armitage trend test was used to identify significant trends in the proportion of hospitals reporting ADRs. Results and Discussion From 2015 to 2020, 22,362 responses were recorded. There was a significant increase in the proportion of hospitals that reported ADRs with an increase in number of beds and pharmacists (p < 0.0001). The proportion of hospitals reporting ADRs to regulatory authorities was also significantly higher in those charging an additional fee for pharmacist-performed ward operations and in those with an ADR data management section than in hospitals without these attributes (p < 0.0001). What is new and Conclusion Hospitals that submitted ADR reports to the regulatory authorities and pharmaceutical companies charged an additional fee for pharmacist-performed ward operations, had a central ADR data management section, and had fewer beds per pharmacist. This trend was similar, regardless of the size of the hospital.