Amid COVID-19: the importance of developing an positive adverse drug reaction (ADR) and medical device incident (MDI) reporting culture for Global Health and public safety

Amid COVID-19 Crisis, reporting adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and medical device incidents (MDIs) to Health Canada or health authorities in every country is crucial for monitoring medication safety and improving public health. Health Canada, for example, through their online database, has facilitated the process of reporting side effects relating to drugs and medical devices. However, several patients and health care professionals still fail to voluntarily report adverse events. For health care providers, some barriers to reporting may include fear of negative feedback, apathy, legal concerns, and uncertainty about whether an incident qualifies as an ADR. In the current COVID-19 Crisis, it is especially important for health care providers to be diligent about reporting Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs), since misinformation propagated by the media is causing patients to misuse certain medications. We need to shift the current thought process about ADR reporting in order to encourage a positive reporting culture by patients and health care providers.