Research & Innovation Watch

Can Digital Tools Strengthen Pharmacovigilance?

Digital technologies are transforming how medicine safety is monitored worldwide. While traditional paper-based reporting systems remain valuable, electronic tools are making pharmacovigilance more efficient, accessible, and responsive.

Mobile reporting applications now enable healthcare professionals to submit adverse drug reaction reports directly from clinics, pharmacies, and hospitals. Electronic health records provide real-world clinical data that can help identify patterns of medicine use and detect potential safety concerns more quickly than manual systems alone.

Artificial intelligence is also beginning to support pharmacovigilance by analysing large volumes of safety data and identifying unusual reporting patterns that may warrant further investigation. Rather than replacing healthcare professionals, these technologies enhance their ability to recognise emerging safety signals and prioritise cases for review.

In low-resource settings, digital innovation offers exciting opportunities, but implementation must consider local realities such as internet access, infrastructure, training, and data quality. Technology is only effective when people are confident using it and when reporting systems are integrated into routine clinical practice.

The future of pharmacovigilance will combine human expertise with digital innovation, creating stronger systems that learn continuously from patient experiences and respond more rapidly to medicine safety concerns.