PHARMACOVIGILANCE AND MEDICATION SAFETY: THE PHARMACIST'S CONTRIBUTION

Abstract

Pharmacovigilance is a vital component of healthcare systems, responsible for monitoring the safety of medicines after they are marketed. This process involves the detection, assessment, understanding, and prevention of adverse reactions and other problems related to the use of medications. In this context, the role of the pharmacist is essential in strengthening pharmacovigilance systems and promoting the safe and rational use of medicines. The present study aimed to investigate, through a review of the scientific literature, how pharmacists contribute to pharmacovigilance activities and medication safety. This research is characterized as a qualitative, descriptive, and exploratory study conducted through a bibliographic search in the Virtual Health Library (BVS) and PubMed databases. Controlled descriptors from the DeCS and MeSH vocabularies were used, combined with Boolean operators to refine the search results. After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 14 articles published between 2020 and 2026 were selected for analysis. The findings indicate that the pharmacist plays a crucial role in detecting, reporting, and monitoring adverse drug reactions, as well as in preventing medication errors and promoting patient safety. Furthermore, the participation of pharmacists in multidisciplinary healthcare teams, along with the use of computerized reporting systems, strengthens pharmacovigilance programs. It is concluded that pharmacists play a fundamental role in medication safety and in improving the quality of healthcare services.