Interventions to Increase Physician Participation in a Voluntary Reporting System: The Rhode Island Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting Project

The voluntary reporting system for adverse drug reactions, operated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is an important component of the postmarketing surveillance process. Despite this, the system is under-used by the physicians upon whom it depends. The FDA contracted with the Rhode Island Department of Health in 1985 to conduct a pilot reporting project to investigate how physician participation in the voluntary reporting system could be increased. A variety of different educational interventions were directed at the Rhode Island physician community. By the end of a two year study period, reports had increased 17-fold. Evaluation of the interventions through a survey of Rhode Island physicians indicated that hospital presentations, a project newsletter and mailings were the most effective educational interventions. Conversely, journal articles, advertisements and articles in hospital newsletters were identified as the least effective interventions. This assessment of project interventions was even more pronounced among those physicians who had reported to the project. Additionally, an association between project mailings and short term peaks in the reporting rate was observed.