Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Pharmacovigilance and Adverse Drug Reactions Reporting Among Healthcare Providers in the Middle East: A Systematic Review

The main purpose of pharmacovigilance (PV) is to ensure medication safety through detecting, assessing, and preventing adverse drug reactions (ADRs). Healthcare providers (HCPs) are the main contributors in PV systems all over the world. However, their knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of PV and ADRs reporting vary among different medical professions and different countries. Aim: To assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices among the HCPs in the Middle East, toward PV and ADRs reporting. Methods: A systematic review was performed. EBSCO, PubMed, and Semantic Scholar, FreeFullPDF and Google Scholar were searched for articles published from January 2014 to December 2024. The selected observational studies were written in English and focused mainly on the knowledge, attitudes, practice, and perceived barriers regarding PV and ADR reporting among HCPs in the Middle East countries. Results: The overall knowledge levels were shown variation across different countries of the Middle East, with various studies indicating a lack of knowledge. The attitudes of HCPs toward PV were generally positive, with the highest levels attained among pharmacists. The HCPs’ practices of PV and ADRs reporting were disappointing. A significant under-reporting was observed among physicians and nurses. Conclusion: Improving the PV systems in the Middle East requires a multi-faceted approach that combines education, technological advancements and continuous professional initiatives to ensure improved patient outcomes and safer healthcare practices.