The Kenya Pharmacy and Poisons Board has developed an electronic reporting system which can be used on desktop computers for faster tracking of adverse drug effects.
The Pharmacovigilance Electronic Reporting System will enable professionals and patients to report any strange use of drugs through the online system, believed to be the first of its kind in Africa.
According to SciDev, this patient safety initiative will replace manual form reporting system used before.
Though the system can only be used on desktop computers, plans are underway to also apply it via mobile phones for effective reporting, reports SciDev.
Jayesh Pandit, head of pharmacovigilance at the Pharmacy and Poisons Board, said the manual system was tiresome as forms had to go through various processes before being finally transferred into a WHO database manually.
“Now users can either log in directly to the web application online or download the appropriate application for their device, which enables both online and offline access to the reporting form, and so can be used where Internet access is unreliable,” said Pandit.
Bitange Ndemo, outgoing permanent secretary in the former Ministry of Information and Communication, said the new system will be of much benefit, and added Kenyans will enjoy using mobiles to report free of charge as soon as the planned project is completed.
According to Willis Akhwale, head of disease control and prevention in the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation, the enterprise is of great importance to health experts.
“The information in the database will enable health workers to make informed decisions that will lead to better healthcare for the Kenyan people,” he said.
He added the system will assist in controlling the illegal sale of drugs, tracking drug resistance, supporting the eradication of illegal drugs and stopping the use of expired drugs.
