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Adverse drug reaction and medication error reporting by pharmacy students
Erin L Sears1, Joyce A Generali
1Department of Pharmacy, Baylor Institute for Rehabilitation, 3505 Gaston Avenue, Dallas, TX 85246-2094, USA. erinse@baylorhealth.edu
The Annals of Pharmacotherapy
|February 11, 2005
Summary
Pharmacy students are learning about adverse drug reaction (ADR) and medication error reporting programs through their curriculum, but understanding and practical application need improvement. Further education is recommended to enhance reporting skills.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacy education
- Drug safety surveillance
- Pharmacovigilance
Background:
- Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and medication errors require reporting by all healthcare professionals, especially pharmacists.
- Pharmacists' role in identifying and reporting ADRs and medication errors necessitates comprehensive education on reporting procedures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess pharmacy students' knowledge and proficiency in reporting ADRs and medication errors.
- Evaluating the effectiveness of current pharmacy curricula in preparing students for pharmacovigilance reporting.
Main Methods:
- A survey was administered to 1322 pharmacy students across 9 colleges.
- Data collected included year of study, learning methods for reporting programs, and familiarity/experience with specific reporting systems.
Main Results:
- Most students learned about reporting programs through didactic coursework, with less exposure via experiential rotations or work experience.
- Familiarity was highest with MedWatch and lowest with the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS).
- While MedWatch form completion improved with curriculum progression, VAERS and Medication Error Reporting (MER) trends faltered after the fourth year, with fewer students demonstrating appropriate form usage than familiarity.
Conclusions:
- Pharmacy students gain familiarity with ADR and MER programs through college curricula.
- There is a significant need to enhance students' practical understanding and application of reporting procedures.
- Colleges of pharmacy should prioritize strengthening educational strategies for pharmacovigilance reporting programs.