Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Non-medical prescribers and pharmacovigilance: participation, competence and future needs

  • Research Article
  • Published:
International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objective To determine UK non-medical prescribers’ (NMPs) (supplementary or independent) current participation and self-reported competence in pharmacovigilance, and their perceptions of training and future needs. Setting Non-medical prescribers in health care in the United Kingdom. Awareness of and participation in the Yellow Card Scheme (YCS); attitudes towards ADR reporting; strategies to encourage reporting; pharmacovigilance training; and demographics. The sample comprised nurse (n = 912) and pharmacist (n = 2,439) NMPs in the UK. Main outcome measures Self-reported competence in pharmacovigilance, knowledge of and participation in the YCS, attitudes towards ADR reporting; strategies to encourage ADR reporting; pharmacovigilance training during NMP training. Results Six hundred and thirteen responses were received giving an overall response rate of 20.4 %. Response rates for nurse and pharmacist prescribers were 32.2 % (n = 293) and 13.1 % (n = 320) respectively. Three hundred and fifty-nine respondents (58.6 %) had submitted a Yellow Card. Although the majority of respondents (70.4 %) felt competent in pharmacovigilance, a third (34.2 %) said they needed further training. Respondents reported a positive attitude towards ADR reporting, yet only a minority (22.9 %) correctly answered factual questions about the YCS. Approximately a third of respondents (35.6 %) “couldn’t remember” if pharmacovigilance was covered in their prescribing training. Publicity and education were commonly suggested measures to enhance contribution to the YCS. Conclusion While NMPs report participation and competence in ADR reporting, there are several key issues to consider including the need for further training and support to optimise their role in pharmacovigilance.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Meyboom RGB. Data assessment in pharmacovigilance. [cited Sept 2011] http://www.ikev.org/haber/farmakovijilans/Meyboom%20Data%20Assessment.pdf.

  2. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. Yellow card, helping to make medicines safer. [cited Sept 2011] http://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/.

  3. Hazell L, Shakir SAW. Under-reporting of adverse drug reactions: a systematic review. Drug Saf. 2006;29(5):296–385.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Lindquist M. Data quality management in pharmacovigilance. Drug Saf. 2004;27(12):857–70.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Department of Health. Supplementary prescribing by nurses, pharmacists, chiropodists/podiatrists, physiotherapists and radiographers within the NHS in England: a guide for implementation 2005. Department of Health, London.

  6. Department of Health. Improving patients’ access to medicines: a guide to implementing nurse and pharmacist independent prescribing within the NHS in England 2006. Department of Health, London.

  7. Stewart D, MacLure K, George J. Educating non medical prescribers. Brit J Clin Pharm. 2012;74(4):662–7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Sweis D, Wong IC. A survey on factors that could affect adverse drug reaction reporting according to hospital pharmacists in Great Britain. Drug Saf. 2000;23(2):165–72.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Green CF, Mottram DR, Rowe PH, Pirmohamed M. Attitudes and knowledge of hospital pharmacists to adverse drug reaction reporting. Brit J Clin Pharm. 2001;51:81–6.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Morrison-Griffiths S, Walley T, Park BK, Breckenridge AM, Pirmohamed M. Reporting of adverse drug reactions by nurses. Lancet. 2003;361:1347.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Sri Ranganathan S, Houghton JE, Davies DP, Routledge PA. The involvement of nurses in reporting suspected adverse drug reactions: experience with the meningococcal vaccination scheme. Brit J Clin Pharm. 2003;56:658–63.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Bracchi RCG, Houghton J, Woods FJ, Thomas S, Smail SA, Routledge PA. A distance-learning programme in pharmacovigilance linked to educational credits is associated with improved reporting of suspected adverse drug reactions via the UK yellow card scheme. Br J Clin Pharm. 2005;60(2):221–3.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. McColl E, Jacoby A, Thomas LN, Soutter J, Bamford C, Steen N, et al. Design and use of questionnaires: a review of best practice applicable to surveys of health service staff and patients. Health Technol Assess. 2001;5(31):1–256.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Edwards PJ, Roberts I, Clarke M, Diguiseppi C, Wentz R, Kwan I, et al. Methods to increase response to postal and electronic questionnaires. Cochrane Database Syst. Rev. 2009;Jul 8(3).

  15. George J, McCaig D, Bond C, Cunningham ITS, Diack HL, Watson AM, et al. Supplementary prescribing: early experiences of pharmacists in Great Britain. Ann Pharmacother. 2006;40:1843–50.

    Google Scholar 

  16. George J, McCaig D, Bond C, Cunningham S, Diack L, Stewart D. Benefits and challenges of prescribing training and implementation: perceptions and early experiences of RPSGB prescribers. Int J Pharm Pract. 2007;15:23–30.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Courtenay M, Carey N, Burke J. Independent extended and supplementary nurse prescribing practice in the UK: a national questionnaire survey. Int J Nurs Stud. 2006;44(7):1093–101.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Bowling A. Methods in health research. Buckingham: Open University Press; 2002.

  19. Fisher RJ. Social desirability bias and the validity of indirect questioning. J Consum Res. 1993;20(2):303–15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Lopez-Gonzalez E, Herdeiro MT, Figueiras A. Determinants of under-reporting of adverse drug reactions: a systematic review. Drug Saf. 2009;32:19–31.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Thomas G, Pring R. Evidence-based practice in education. Berkshire: Open University Press; 2004.

    Google Scholar 

  22. Gavaza P, Brown CM, Lawson KA, Rascati KL, Wilson JP, Steinhardt M. Influence of attitudes on pharmacists’ intention to report serious adverse drug events to the Food and Drug Administration. Br J Clin Pharm. 2011;71(1):143–52.

    Google Scholar 

  23. Avery A, Anderson C, Bond C, Fortnum H, Gifford A, Hannaford PC, et al. Evaluation of patient reporting of adverse drug reactions to the UK ‘Yellow Card Scheme’: literature review, descriptive and qualitative analyses, and questionnaire surveys. Health Technol Assess 2011;15(20):1–234.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We acknowledge the contribution of the following organisations to recruiting nurse and pharmacist prescribers: Association for Nurse Prescribing; NHS Education for Scotland; Centre for Postgraduate Pharmaceutical Education; Northern Ireland Centre for Pharmacy Learning and Development; Welsh Pharmacy Board; National Prescribing Centre; and Royal Pharmaceutical Society. We are also grateful to those nurse and pharmacist prescribers who participated in the research.

Funding

The UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) funded this research.

Conflicts of interest

None.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, Robert Gordon University, AB10 1FR, Aberdeen, UK

    Derek Stewart, Katie MacLure & Vibhu Paudyal

  2. School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, BT9 7BL, UK

    Carmel Hughes

  3. Health and Social Care, University of Surrey, Guilford, GU2 7XH, UK

    Molly Courtenay

  4. Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB25 2ZD, UK

    James McLay

Authors
  1. Derek Stewart
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Katie MacLure
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Vibhu Paudyal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Carmel Hughes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Molly Courtenay
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. James McLay
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Derek Stewart.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Stewart, D., MacLure, K., Paudyal, V. et al. Non-medical prescribers and pharmacovigilance: participation, competence and future needs. Int J Clin Pharm 35, 268–274 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11096-012-9739-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11096-012-9739-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation