Pharmacists' knowledge and perceptions about pharmacovigilance and barriers towards adverse drug reactions reporting in Yemen

Objective The current study aims to assess Yemeni pharmacists' knowledge, attitude and practice of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) reporting systems and to determine barriers hindering them from reporting. Methods A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted between August and October 2017. One hundred sixty-two pharmacists practicing in both community and hospital settings were recruited from five governorates using a convenient sampling technique. A validated self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data and to achieve the study objectives. Descriptive analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Science version 20. Key findings Out of 260 questionnaires distributed, 162 pharmacists responded (Response rate of 62.3%). In terms of knowledge, 156 (96.3%) were not aware of the existence of ADRs reporting system in Yemen. The overall average knowledge score among pharmacists was 1.2 (SD = 1.2) out of 7. Concerning practice, about (140, 87.0%) of pharmacists disclosed that patients reported at least one ADRs annually. Insufficient clinical knowledge of pharmacist, unavailability of ADRs reporting form and unawareness of existence of the national ADRs reporting system were noticed to be the main barriers towards ADRs reporting. Conclusions Most of pharmacists were unaware of the ADRs reporting system in Yemen. However, advertising, education and intensive training are needed to improve awareness and to ensure an effective ADRs reporting process.