Abstract

Currently, adverse drug reactions are the 6th leading cause of death worldwide. In sub-
Saharan Africa, 6.3% of hospitalizations are a direct result of adverse drug reactions. This
study aimed to evaluate the adverse drug reaction reporting system at Hospitals and Health
Centers IV and III in Bushenyi District. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 225 health
professionals including pharmacists, trainee pharmacists, nurses, midwives, trainee nurses,
physicians and internists, followed by agents clinical. Data collected using questionnaires
were entered into SPSS version 25 for analysis. The analyzed information is presented in
tables and graphs. The results indicated that 80 (35.6%) were from Kampala International
University Teaching Hospital, the majority 132 (58.7%) were between the ages of 26 and 45,
of which 121 (53.8%) were female and 104 (45.3%) were male. The majority, 98 (43.6%) were
certified and 117 (52.0%) were nurses. The majority of medical facilities, 164 (72.9%), had a
system for reporting adverse drug reactions and 50 (22.2%) said they did not have this
system. 160 (71.1%) respondents discovered side effects of the medication. Of these, 133
(83.1%) reported these reactions and 27 (19.9%) did not report adverse drug reactions. Almost
95 (59.4%) adverse drug reactions were reported to physicians, 30 (18.6%) to pharmacists,
and finally 3 (2.3%) to NDAs. In summary, adverse drug reaction reporting systems exist, with
adverse drug reaction reporting forms being the most common adverse drug reaction
reporting tool. Healthcare professionals who had heard about an adverse drug reaction were
12 times more likely than other healthcare professionals to report an adverse drug reaction.
Additionally, the lowest adverse drug reaction reporting rates were recorded at Ishaka
Adventist Hospital and Comboni Hospital. Most medical staff have detected adverse drug
reactions and 83.1% of them reported adverse drug reactions but sent them to the wrong
authorities (doctors, pharmacists), mainly through phone. As a result, the National Drug
Authority (NDA) pharmacovigilance center, pharmacovigilance coordinators at regional
hospitals and online platforms were not used properly.