Do pharmacists' reports of adverse drug reactions reflect patients' concerns?

Aim: The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the concerns patients express to a Drug Information Line about possible adverse drug reactions (ADRs) they have experienced, are sufficiently reflected by the ADR reports submitted by pharmacists to the Netherlands Pharmacovigilance Centre Lareb with regard to the type of ADRs and the drug groups involved.

Methods: ADR-related questions patients addressed to the Dutch Drugs Information Line were compared with the ADR reports pharmacists sent in to Lareb in the same period. The similarities and differences between the characteristics of the suspected ADRs and the kinds of drugs mentioned were investigated, as well as the severity of the reported ADRs. To compare the two data sets and to establish whether significant differences were present, a logistic regression analysis was conducted on the reported drugs and ADRs.

Results: Analysis of the content of the phone calls yielded 1168 (14.6%) calls concerning possible experienced ADRs. The suspected ADRs pharmacists reported to the Netherlands Pharmacovigilance Centre Lareb in the same period included 1734 reports. There were only slight differences between the queries patients put to the Drug Information Line regarding possible adverse drug reactions and the reports on suspected ADRs pharmacists submitted to the pharmacovigilance centre. With respect to possible ADRs in the psychiatric spectrum and ADRs associated with the use of antidepressants, there seems to be a deficiency in the reporting by pharmacists.

Conclusion: The ADRs pharmacists report to the national pharmacovigilance centre reflect patients' concerns about ADRs they experience in relation to the medication they are taking.