Complementing ADR Data by Utilizing Electronic Health Records:Experience Form a Tertiary Care Hospital in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Objective: Recognizing the limitation of spontaneous adverse drug reaction reporting and the need for better quality of data to monitor the safety of drugs, we explore here the possibilities of complementing the spontaneous ADR reports at an institutional level with data extracted from our electronic health records. Method: Data on adverse drug reactions documented in patient’s electronic health records was extracted from the hospital’s health information system. Results: A significant difference in rate and type of adverse drug reactions was observed in comparison to those reported spontaneously by healthcare providers. Conclusion: implementing a continuous process of complementing hospital based spontaneous adverse drug reaction reporting data with data from patient’s electronic health records can serve as a better tool in improving ADR monitoring.