Physicians Sociodemographics and Knowledge, Awareness, Attitude and Practice towards Reporting Adverse Drug Reactions: An Association Study in Jeddah City, Saudi Arabia

Background: Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are considered as one of the most important contributors to significant morbidity and mortality around the world. Currently, ADRs remain a major challenge for healthcare providers, patients, drug industry, and regulators.

Objective: To determine associations of hospital physicians (HPs) demographics and ADRs variables with their knowledge, awareness, attitude and practice (KAAP), and encountering and reporting ADRs in three general hospitals of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Methods: A7-item self-administered ADR questionnaire was developed and applied in this cross-sectional study. The questionnaire covered seven domains: sociodemographic, the awareness of ADRs program, knowledge about ADR reporting, physicians’ attitude towards ADR, practice of ADR reporting, motivators of and barriers against ADRs reporting, and self-perception and intention to report ADRs. From October 2012 to September 2013, randomly selected hospital physicians (HPs) participated in the analytical study.

Results: A total of 337 HPs participated in the study, and the response rate was 87.5%. This study revealed a number of significant associations of physicians’ demographic and ADR practice characteristics and self perceptions with KAAP of ADRs and detected and reported ADRs. Physicians were aware of ADRs but their knowledge and attitude was not significantly associated with ever having detected or reported ADRs.

Conclusion: Certain demographics and ADR practice were significantly associated with ADR KAAP scores. The HPs in general hospitals demonstrated low level of knowledge and attitude regarding ADRs reporting, compared to awareness. For improving patient safety and quality of health care advanced education and training in attitude and practice of ADRs reporting, targeting hospital physicians is needed urgently. Further research need to be conducted on several aspects of ADRs in all hospitals of Saudi Arabia.