Optimising reporting of adverse events following immunisation by healthcare workers in Ghana: A qualitative study in four regions.

Introduction: Despite the emphasis on reporting of Adverse Events Following Immunisation (AEFIs) during didactic training sessions, especially prior to new vaccine introductions, it remains low in Ghana. We explored the factors underlying the under-reporting of AEFI by healthcare workers (HCWs) to provide guidance on appropriate interventions to increase reporting.

Methods: We conducted an exploratory descriptive in-depth study of the factors contributing to low reporting of AEFI among HCWs in four regions in Ghana.

Barriers to healthcare workers reporting adverse events following immunization in four regions of Ghana.

Despite didactic training on adverse events following immunization (AEFI) in Ghana, the reporting ratio of AEFI was 1.56 per 100,000 surviving infants in 2015, below the minimum reporting ratio of 10. We aimed to estimate the proportion of health care workers (HCWs) reporting AEFI and to identify barriers to reporting.

Prescribing patterns and compliance with World Health Organization recommendations for the management of severe malaria: a modified cohort event monitoring study in public health facilities in Ghana and Uganda.

Background: Injectable artesunate (AS) is the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended medication for the treatment of severe malaria followed with an oral artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT). There are few studies indicating how physicians prescribe injectable AS, injectable quinine (Q) or injectable artemether (AR) and ACT for severe malaria. This study was undertaken to evaluate prescription compliance to the WHO recommendation in 8 public health facilities in Ghana and Uganda.

The contribution of Ghanaian patients to the reporting of adverse drug reactions: a quantitative and qualitative study.

Background: Under-reporting of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) is a major challenge for pharmacovigilance in Africa. This study sets out to assess the level of awareness of Ghanaian patients about ADRs and ADR-reporting and explores how different patients in Ghana recognize an ADR and the steps they take when they experience an ADR.

Methods: This was a two-part study consisting of a survey to quantify the awareness of Ghanaian patients on ADRs and ADR-reporting, and in-depth interviews to explore how patients recognize an ADR and the steps they take thereafter.

Organizational capacities of national pharmacovigilance centres in Africa: assessment of resource elements associated with successful and unsuccessful pharmacovigilance experiences.

Background: National pharmacovigilance centres (national centres) are gradually gaining visibility as part of the healthcare delivery system in Africa. As does happen in high-income countries, it is assumed that national centres can play a central coordinating role in their national pharmacovigilance (PV) systems. However, there are no studies that have investigated whether national centres in Africa have sufficient organizational capacity to deliver on this mandate and previous studies have reported challenges such as lack of funding, political will and adequate human resources.

Safety Experience During Real-World Use of Injectable Artesunate in Public Health Facilities in Ghana and Uganda: Outcomes of a Modified Cohort Event Monitoring Study (CEMISA).

Introduction: Injectable artesunate (Inj AS) is the World Health Organization (WHO)-recommended product for treating severe malaria. However, despite widespread usage, there are few published safety studies involving large populations in real-world settings. In this study, we sought to assess the incidence of common adverse events (AEs) following the intake of Inj AS in real-life settings.