#2 Why we should listen to patients – Linda Härmark

As the end users of medicines, patients can provide first-hand information on side effects. The issues they report add a richness to our understanding of medicine safety that we could never achieve by relying on healthcare professionals’ reports alone – so it’s crucial that we listen to them. Linda Härmark from the Netherlands pharmacovigilance centre Lareb tells us more.Tune in to find out:What patient reports reveal about people’s use of medicinesHow to make best use of the information relayed by patientsWhat to consider when setting up a patient reporting systemWant to know more?Here are a few reading resources to get you started:After fifteen years in the business, Lareb has lessons to share on implementing and running patient reporting systems.Pharmacovigilance pioneer Sten Olsson argues that patient reporting is the future of pharmacovigilance.Collaborating with patient organizations can help pharmacovigilance centres deliver medicine safety updates to the right audiences and understand how patients use medicines.Patient reports can help identify previously unrecognized side effects, like in the case of panic attacks with the contraceptive desogestrel.A collaborative signal detection workshop on patient reports taught Lareb and Uppsala Monitoring Centre staff some valuable lessons.Every year, the #MedSafetyWeek campaign raises awareness of medicine side effects and pharmacovigilance reporting systems – join in!If you’d like to hear more from the Netherlands pharmacovigilance centre Lareb, check out this interview with Eugene van Puijenbroek on intuitive and clinical reasoning. Join the conversation on social mediaFollow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, X, or Bluesky and share your thoughts about the show with the hashtag #DrugSafetyMatters.Got a story to share?We’re always looking for new content and interesting people to interview. If you have a great idea for a show, get in touch!About UMCRead more about Uppsala Monitoring Centre and how we promote safer use of medicines and vaccines for everyone everywhere.

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