Views on the Development and Use of a New Digital Adverse Drug Event Reporting Platform in Australia: A Qualitative Study

Background Reporting of adverse drug events (ADEs) to regulatory authorities remains low, particularly among consumers. Objectives To explore stakeholders’ views on the development and use of a digital platform to improve ADE reporting by consumers to the regulatory authority in Australia, i.e., the Therapeutic Goods Administration. Methods A qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions (FGDs), and co-design workshops with consumers, healthcare professionals (HCPs), and regulators. The interview recordings were transcribed verbatim, coded, and analysed thematically according to the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, Behaviour model. Findings of the FGDs and co-design workshops were incorporated to enhance and complement the insights gathered from the interviews. Results A total of 39 participants took part in the study (54 % consumers, 41 % HCPs, and 5 % regulators). Uncovered themes related to ADE reporting in general were: difficulty recognizing ADEs and health literacy, awareness about reporting ADEs (Capability); visibility of ADE reporting, professionals’ views on consumer ADE reporting, consumer education (Opportunity); the common good, benefit to the reporter, identifying ADEs worth reporting, and concern about reporting (Motivation). Additional identified themes specific to a new digital platform were: physical abilities (Capability); features that facilitate intuitive use, convenience and accessibility, user experience, integration with existing systems, trust, sharing experiences with others (Opportunity); and concern about using a reporting platform, and feedback loop (Motivation). Conclusions A cross-section of attitudes and values were obtained regarding ADE reporting in general and a new ADE reporting digital platform for consumers in Australia, which will inform its development, implementation and evaluation.