Role of nurses from Extremadura in the Spanish drug surveillance system (2000-2005)

The main aim of pharmacovigilance, a public health activity, is to communicate, collect and evaluate notifications of adverse reactions to drugs (ARD) received from health professionals. Among this collective, nurses are in an optimal position due to their knowledge of pharmacology and their role in the front line of patient care. We performed a search of the ARD reported by nursing staff in Extremadura from january 1, 2000 to december 31, 2005 through the pharmacovigilance information system of Extremadura. A total of 1,502 ARD were notified to the Spanish pharmacovigilance system by nurses throughout Spain (3.32% of the total) and 10 RAM by nurses from Extremadura (0.64% of the total number of RAM notified by nurses). The highest number of ARD corresponded to the year 2000, with 20% of the total being urticaria. The causative agents were vaccines against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis and poliomyelitis (30% of the total). According to the notifiers, 50% corresponded to the extrahospital setting. Only one ARD required emergency care, while 40% of affected individuals required drug therapy to alleviate the effects of the ARD. Seventy percent of the ARD were mild, while the remainder were moderate. ARD occurred in men and women equally, and the mean age of affected individuals was 37.4 years. ARD are underreported by nurses, influenced by low motivation to notify these events and lack of knowledge of how they should be reported.