The Knowledge and Reporting of Adverse Drug Reactions in Healthcare Professionals and the Public in China

Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) refer to non-therapeutic and unwanted reactions to authorized drugs under normal conditions of administration and dosage. Despite being a focus of drug authorities in China, ADRs and pharmacovigilance concepts are not well understood by healthcare professionals and patients. To address this issue, we conducted a questionnaire to investigate knowledge and reporting of ADRs among healthcare professionals and the public to provide useful insights into ADR monitoring to ensure safety after approval. Our results showed that the public needs to deepen their understanding of ADRs, only 73.75% of them correctly understand the definition of ADRs, the public actively seeks information about ADRs, 83.7% of people will read drug instructions before taking drugs, 45.03% of people will follow the guidance of doctors. Additionally, the public has a positive attitude towards reporting ADRs, 83.01% of them believed that it was necessary to report ADRs, but they lack knowledge about reporting channels, only 12.25% knew the four channels. Compared with the public, medical personnel have a higher level of knowledge about drugs and ADR reports, which will help to enhance the public's awareness of adverse drug reactions. The reporting system of ADRs in medical institutions in China is relatively mature, 95.16% of medical personnel said that their units have established a monitoring and reporting system, but the professional knowledge of ADRs should be further strengthened, and more convenient and effective reporting methods should be explored.