First results from the lessons learnt from the deployment of the Med Safety App for reporting adverse drug reactions in Ghana.

Autor:	Seaneke SK; Food and Drugs Authority, Accra, Ghana., Darko DM; Food and Drugs Authority, Accra, Ghana., Nkansah E; Food and Drugs Authority, Accra, Ghana., Asamoa-Amoakohene A; Food and Drugs Authority, Accra, Ghana., Ashie A; Food and Drugs Authority, Accra, Ghana., Sampson Ewudzie J; Food and Drugs Authority, Accra, Ghana., Tregunno P; Safety and Surveillance Group, Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, London, UK., Raguenaud ME; Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR), World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva, Switzerland., Merle CS; Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR), World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva, Switzerland., Hennig BJ; Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR), World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva, Switzerland., Sabblah GT; Food and Drugs Authority, Accra, Ghana.
Jazyk:	angličtina
Zdroj:	Digital health [Digit Health] 2023 Nov 05; Vol. 9, pp. 20552076231211276. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Nov 05 (Print Publication: 2023).
DOI:	10.1177/20552076231211276
Abstrakt:	Background: The use of mobile phone technology for reporting adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in pharmacovigilance is relatively new.The objective of the study was to explore challenges and facilitators for the use of the Med Safety App for reporting ADRs in Ghana. A comparative evaluation of ADR reports received through the app and the standard paper-based form was also conducted. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study with a purposive sampling technique. The study population was persons who had downloaded the Med Safety App launched in Ghana 18 months before the study. Results: Of the 350 participants, 121 provided answers to the questionnaire sent as a Google form, representing a response rate of 34.6%.Ninety-five (78.5%) of the participants were healthcare professionals, and the remaining were patients. Seventy-five (64.7%) of the participants were using the app after initial installation because they thought it had helpful features. However, only 33 (27.3%) participants used the app to report ADRs, and of these, seven (21.2%) participants indicated that they would continue to use the app because it was easier than the other means of reporting ADRs. Most of the respondents, 109 (94%), indicated that they would recommend the app to someone else. There were some differences between the reports received through the app and between the paper-based Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS) 1 form and the app, which warrant further exploration. Conclusion: Most participants indicated that the app is a useful tool and easy to use, and they were satisfied with the features of the app. Given that only just under one-third of participants had used the app to report ADRs, more time and training may be required to fully evaluate the feasibility of the use of the app going forward. The findings will help improve introduction of the app in other countries. Competing Interests: The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. (© The Author(s) 2023.)
Databáze:	MEDLINE
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