Table 3 Identified obstacles experienced in ADR-reporting by Ghanaian patients and possible solutions to it

Poor dispensing practices of medicines

Improve the regulation of medicine dispensing practices.

Urging pharmaceutical companies to produce smaller medicine boxes

Educate HCWs on good dispensary practices of medicines in their education program and by in-service training.

Substandard recognition of ADRs by patients

HCWs and primary schools should focus on educating (lower educated) patients on ADRs and how to recognize and assess ADRs.

An easy tool can be developed to assist patients in the recognition and assessment of ADRs.

Skipping the first line of healthcare in reporting ADRs

The authorities concerned need to make patients more aware of avenues to report and particularly urge patients to report ADRs to their first line of care which is the pharmacy attendants and then other HCWs.

Pharmacists or attendants in turn need to improve their participation in ADR-reporting by improving their patient engagement with the hope of establishing a lasting trust-based relationship.

Lacking awareness to report ADRs to HCWs

Better information provision practices from HCWs by including ADR reporting/patient education in the curriculum of healthcare disciplines

Targeted campaigns by the Ghana-FDA.

Socio-economic differences between patients and HCWs

Point out alternative options for patient reporting of ADRs such as their first line of care (pharmacist) and/or the PRS.

Lacking awareness of the PRS and willingness to use it

Campaigns to make patients aware of the PRS

Creating a patient-friendly version of the PRS