Patients as a direct source of information on adverse drug reactions

Abstract

To determine whether patients should participate directly in detecting adverse reactions to drugs their ability to provide written reports of symptoms experienced during treatment with amoxycillin or trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazole was investigated. When compared with telephone interviews forms on which patients reported events were reliable (the observed agreement with the same statements posed during telephone calls was 85%, κ = 0.56) and valid (sensitivity = 54%, specificity = 94%). Patients were also supplied with forms that invited them to report adverse reactions, and their perceptions were compared with those of a panel of experts, who were informed of all clinical events that had been..