PHARMACY-COORDINATED PROGRAM THAT ENCOURAGES PHYSICIAN REPORTING OF ADVERSE DRUG-REACTIONS

A pharmacy-coordinated program for encouraging physician reporting of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) is described. The ADR surveillance program at the Medical Center Hospital of Vermont, a 500-bed tertiary-care hospital, is in its fifth year. Key elements are close interaction between physicians and pharmacists, feedback, program promotion, and financial incentive. The program is promoted chiefly to house staff physicians. A physician may identify a suspected ADR, or he or she may be alerted by a pharmacist. The physician completes the first part of a form, which requests information on the patient, the severity of the reaction, the actions taken, and any predisposing factors. A pharmacist reviews the incident independently and in consultation with the reporter and then completes the second part of the form, which asks the pharmacist to assess the probability that the drug caused the ADR and to classify the reaction. A summary is sent to the physician and may be reported to the FDA and the manufacturer. Each report earns the reporter a $5 stipend. Information from the ADR forms is entered into a dBASEIII PLUS computer program for later retrieval and analysis. During a 12-month period, 175 ADR reports (out of a total of 249 reports) were received from house staff members, compared with about 4 voluntary reports received annually before the program began. The ADR surveillance program has increased physician reporting of ADRs and produced a reliable database that can be used to influence hospital policy and promote education.