OBJECTIVETo investigate the knowledge and attitudes of healthcare professionals (doctors, nurses and administrators) to adverse drug reactions (ADR) in Wuhan city and to identify the reasons for under-reporting.

METHODSStructured interviews were carried out in Wuhan, Hubei province. Questionnaire survey to approximately 15% of the medical practitioners selected from 16 hospitals, was conducted during the period from February to March 2003.

RESULTSOnly 2.7% of the interviewees knew the definition of adverse drug reactions. 61.7% of the doctors, 62.7% of the nurses and 61.1% of the administrators had ever encountered an ADR during their practices, but did not report to the national monitoring center or other centers. The major reasons for not reporting included: ignorant about the requirement and the reporting process of ADR (71.4%); address of the reporting agency and Forms unavailable (67.9%, 60.4%); unaware of the existence of a national ADR reporting system (52.2%); needless to report as the ADR being too well known (44.1%). They mainly reported an ADR to the hospital pharmacy or other departments, or to the pharmaceutical administration. Education, training and developing new institutions were ways to improve the reporting system.

CONCLUSIONSOur results showed that healthcare professionals had little knowledge on the basic ADR knowledge. The main reasons for underreporting were related to factors on reporting process, address of related centers and unavailable of the Forms. Education and training to doctors and nurses to enhance the awareness of administrators were the ways to improve the reporting system.