RESUMO
PURPOSE: To compare the regional demographic and health indicators to the pharmacovigilance activity of the regional pharmacovigilance centers in terms of number of cases collected, responses to information requests and signal detection in 2015. METHODS: The pharmacovigilance activity parameters (collected cases reports, information requests, reported serious cases) were expressed in regional proportions to population size and compared to regional demographic and health indicators (population, individuals aged 60 and over, individuals aged under 20, socio-professional categories, health facilities per capita, hospital beds [medicine, surgery and obstetrics] per capita, physicians and pharmacists per capita, mortality rate and drug consumption per capita) in 12 French metropolitan areas. The Spearman correlation between these two parameters was analyzed. RESULTS: The territorial distribution of all demographic and health indicators and pharmacovigilance activity indicators in proportion to population size was different between regions (P<0.001): individuals aged 60 and over, individuals aged under 20, socio-professional categories, health facilities per capita, hospital beds per capita, health professionals per capita, mortality rate, drug consumption per capita, reported pharmacovigilance cases, information requests and reported serious cases. The number of regional collected pharmacovigilance cases per capita was negatively correlated with the territorial distribution of managers and intermediate professions (respectively r=-0.60 and -0.68; P=0.04 and 0.02). The regional number of reported serious cases per capita was statistically correlated with the regional number of hospital beds per capita (r=0.60; P=0.04) and inversely correlated with the territorial distribution of intermediate professions (r=-0.60; P=0.04). CONCLUSION: Size of population is not the only determinant of the regional level of pharmacovigilance activity. Regional demographic and health parameters (age, socio-professional categories, hospital beds and drugs consumed) may partly explain the difference between regions.