The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) Ghana launched the Med Safety App (MSA) in June 2019 to complement traditional tools for reporting adverse drug reactions. Despite extensive nationwide promotion, uptake remained low. This study aimed to identify barriers and facilitators to uptake of the MSA in Ghana. A mixed-methods concurrent design was used, comprising focus-group discussions (FGDs) and a survey. Eight FGDs were conducted between January and March 2023, with 50 participants drawn from stakeholder groups (6–10 per group). In addition, a quantitative survey was conducted from December 2022 to January 2023 among 433 participants who had previously downloaded and used the MSA across four regions. Facilitators of MSA use included easy access to information and its usefulness for reporting adverse drug reactions (ADRs). Barriers included lack of feedback to reporters, limited awareness of the app, and lengthy registration and log-in processes. Recommendations to improve uptake included increased public awareness and feature enhancements such as voice notes, phone-in and chat options, video/audio uploads, simplified log-in, and use of lay language. A statistically significant association was observed between app use and region (adjusted odds ratio AOR = 3.73; 95% confidence interval CI 1.83–7.61; p < 0.001). The MSA has the potential to be a valuable public health tool for real-time reporting of ADRs. However, addressing technical and communication-related barriers is crucial to improving its usability and increasing nationwide uptake.
Seaneke et al. (Sat,) studied this question.