**2.7 Standard operating procedures (SOP) in private practice settings**

Pharmacovigilance Centres in conjunction with private healthcare practitioners can develop SOPs that will be kept at facilities. Such SOP will assist healthcare workers in ADR management and reporting, and all employees within the practice should be trained on such. The private practices envisaged should include suppliers of pharmaceuticals (i.e. wholesale distribution outlets, compounding pharmacies) and manufacturers.

### **2.8 Advocacy and educational interventions**

Pharmacovigilance has an impact on the overall health of a population and the cost of healthcare services. In particular, strengthening the health system through incorporation of pharmacovigilance into the curricula of different healthcare cadres training schedules will add value to the academic learning and invariably assist in reducing the cost that might have been incurred due to ADRs. Thus, emphasis should be placed on inculcating good reporting culture by the students, not neglecting continued professional training of healthcare workers within the public and private healthcare settings.

*Embracing the Changing Needs for Pharmacovigilance in Africa DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.106356*

Different stakeholders that contribute or are involved in healthcare provision and consumption (patients) need to be reached and made aware of the place of pharmacovigilance and the need for ADR reporting in patient management. Enlightening healthcare workers, policymakers and patients is an essential aspect of the promotion of pharmacovigilance; they need to be acquainted with ways of identifying whatever reaction occurs after the use of any clinical intervention such as medicines or unusual laboratory results and realize that such event requires reporting to the TIPC or any reporting centre within their region, will be paramount to optimizing the pharmacovigilance system.
