Evolution of adverse drug reactions reporting systems: paper based to software based.

OBJECTIVE: Adverse Drug Reactions (ADR) add a significant clinical and economic burden to the healthcare system of a country. We present an overview of the different approaches of ADR reporting systems worldwide and their evolution over time. METHODS: A systematic review of the literature was made based on PubMed and the Cochrane database of systematic reviews. The articles searched for included original articles, WHO and FDA reports and institute of medicine reports. Reporting ADRs is the cornerstone of detecting uncommon ADRs once the drugs are on the market. In many countries, ADR reporting is regulated by national regulatory bodies and various methods are employed to report ADRs. Direct reporting by healthcare professionals has been adopted by many developed and developing countries. With emerging new technologies in the field of medicine, there is a great potential to develop better ADR reporting systems in the countries where they have poor reporting. CONCLUSION: Development and acquisition of newer technologies to promote ADR monitoring and reporting is a necessity for an effective pharmacovigilance system in a country.