Abstract

Adverse drug reaction (ADR) is a noxious and undesirable reaction to drugs at dosage normally used in humans for diagnosis, treatment or prophylaxis of diseases or ailments. Spontaneous reporting is currently the major back bone for the detection of adverse drug reactions. The objective of the study was to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of health professionals towards ADR reporting in Boru Meda Hospital, North East Ethiopia. A quantitative cross-sectional study design was used. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from the health professionals, and the collected data was analyzed using SPSS (version 16). A test of association for selected variables was done using Pearson chi–square. From a total of 57 respondents, 40 (70.1%) were able to differentiate ADR from side effects. Thirty six (63.2%) and 34 (59.6%) respondents knew the availability of national reporting system and ADR reporting form in Ethiopia, respectively. Majority, 46 (80.7%), of the respondents said that ADR should be reported only when they are serious and life threatening. Out of 12 respondents who encountered ADR in the past 12 months in their clinical activities, 10 reported to responsible body. Health professionals working in Boru Meda Hospital have good attitude towards ADR reporting and good reporting culture of encountered ADRs, but insufficient knowledge about ADRs. The unavailability of ADR reporting forms take the lions part in significantly discouraging them to detect and report ADRs.

Key words: Adverse drug reactions, knowledge, attitude, practices, health professionals, pharmacovigilance, Boru Meda Hospital.