Course image Introduction into pharmacovigilance
Short Course

 Patients may benefit from drugs, but also might experience risks like adverse drug reactions (ADRs).

An ADR is an unwanted or unexpected clinical event, associated with pharmacological treatment.
ADRs are defined as ‘response to a medicine which is noxious and unintended, and which occurs at a
dose normally used in human for prophylaxis, diagnosis or therapy of disease or for the modification
of physiological function’. ADRs are common, often preventable, and one of the leading causes of
morbidity and mortality. Every drug will have its ADRs. The frequency of ADRs not only depend on
the type of drugs that are being used but also on the setting in which a drug is used.
How do you deal with ADRs as a healthcare worker? Based on what information do you inform your
patients? And, what information is important when you report an ADR to the national
pharmacovigilance centre? In this e-learning, you will gain knowledge about how to recognize and
manage ADRs. You will learn why it is important to monitor the safety of drugs, and how you can
contribute to a safer use of drugs in daily practice.