A cross-sectional study: comparison of public perceptions of adverse drug reaction reporting and monitoring in eastern and western China

BACKGROUND: Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) cause a substantial clinical and economic burden. Spontaneous reporting of ADRs by the public is crucial. In some developed countries like the United States, Canada, consumers have been allowed to directly report ADRs, however, convenient channels for direct ADR reporting by the public are lacking in China. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to compare the knowledge, attitudes, and practice(KAP) regarding monitoring and reporting of adverse drug reaction (ADR) among the general public in eastern and western China. METHODS: A questionnaire-guided cross-sectional study was administered to participants in Nanjing and Xi’an during April–July 2019. A descriptive statistical analysis was used to describe respondents’ demographic information and other results. The t-test and analysis of variance were used to test the differences in knowledge and attitudes among respondents with different demographic characteristics. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to examine factors associated with knowledge and attitudes. RESULTS: A total of 1085 questionnaires were distributed in this survey, 869 valid questionnaires were returned, the recovery rate was 80.09%. Respondents showed poor knowledge of the definition of ADRs and reporting criteria, with a significant difference in average knowledge scores according to education level, gender, and age group. Most respondents had positive attitudes toward ADR monitoring and reporting, with no significant differences in knowledge and attitude scores between the two cities. In total, 68.93% of respondents said they would feedback information to health care professionals, most (84.35%) would take the initiative to report ADRs if there were a convenient method. More than half (58.57%) of respondents were more likely to report ADRs by telephone. CONCLUSION: The findings of our study indicated that health care professionals should encourage patients to actively report ADR. China should also explore ways to facilitate direct public reporting of ADRs by improving relevant laws and regulations. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12913-022-07720-0.