Project Pharmacovigilance

2.1.3 Promotion and Advocacy for Pharmacovigilance

Adverse drug reaction monitoring needs a well-organised system, structure and expertise in place. HAIAP realises that this is in fact a process that required a vast amount of resources and should be supported by the Ministries of Health in countries.

However, there are many members of HAIAP who are currently interested in some form of pharmacovigilance system. HAIAP supports these members who try to come up with new initiatives of adverse drug reporting.

Case Study: Nepal

In Nepal, qualified doctors are often reluctant to set up practice in the villages and the rural patients often rely upon to the traditional healthcare practitioners for healthcare needs. Retail pharmacies frequently serve as the public’s first point of contact with the healthcare system in the rural areas. This makes the people dependent on self-medication which is known to cause Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs).

The Pharmacovigilance center from Western Nepal located at Manipal Teaching Hosptial started a community-based Pharmacovigilance system in which the community pharmacists report the ADRs. A study was carried out using a validated KAP questionnaire having 20 questions [(knowledge 11, attitude 5 and practice 4) with a maximum possible score of 40] to evaluate the training program.

To read more about this study, click on the following:

Case Study: Malaysia

Involving consumers can be an important approach towards ensuring medicine safety.  Consumers are active players in drug safety and key stakeholders in relation to pharmacovigilance and can actively contribute through an integrated and efficient reporting system.

Direct reporting is an essential tool to empower consumers and to improve their involvement in the management of their own health. With consumer reporting, ADR will be detected earlier, more ADR would be reported e.g. (over-the-counter) medicines.

To view HAI Europe’s activities on Pharmacovigilance, click here.