Evaluation of adverse drug reaction reporting among traditional medicine practitioners in zaria kaduna state nigeria

The wide use of traditional medicines has remained a serious concern particularly when it comes to safety. This study was aimed at assessing the knowledge, perception and barriers for Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR) reporting among traditional medicine practitioners (TMPs). This study was a cross sectional study among TMPs in Zaria Nigeria using a structured questionnaire. A response rate of 87.5% (105) was recorded. The TMPs were mostly males 86 (81.9%) with a mean age of 40.8 ± 12.9 years. Majority of the TMPs have never come across ADR 64 (61.0%), didn’t know how to report ADR 62 (59.0), with no training on ADR reporting 61 (58.1%). The TMPs believed that pharmacovigilance is not only ADR reporting 67 (63.8%), ADR reporting will improve the healthcare 87 (82.9%), and ADR reporting is as important as treating patient 78 (74.3%). The TMPs reported updating their knowledge 84 (80.0%), belonging to professional bodies 80 (76.2%), and willing to implement ADR reporting in their practice 85 (81.0%). The overall mean scores for the knowledge, perception and barriers were 3.57 ± 2.10, 4.99 ± 1.42 and 4.44 ± 1.52, respectively. There was association between knowledge and age, ownership, rank and years of experience (p < 0.05), between perception and age (p < 0.05), and between barriers and practice setting (p < 0.05). This study revealed deficiency in knowledge with a positive perception of ADR reporting among TMPs. However, barriers were not significant. This suggests the need for advocacy and training of the TMPs on ADRs.