A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY ON PHARMACOVIGILANCE KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE, AND PERCEPTION AMONG HEALTHCARE STUDENTS IN PAKISTAN

Abstract

Background

Pharmacovigilance is important for the safety of drugs by detecting, assessing, and preventing adverse drug reactions. Despite the adoption of pharmacovigilance practices worldwide, adverse drug reaction underreporting is still an issue, usually due to inadequate knowledge and training among health care practitioners. It is therefore important to comprehend the students’ level of awareness, attitudes, and perceptions about pharmacovigilance.

Methods

The survey was performed in the form of a cross-sectional study on undergraduate students pursuing health care in Pakistan by means of a structured questionnaire that was scientifically validated. The questionnaire focused on demographics, pharmacovigilance-related knowledge, attitudes, perception, and practice, as determined through 11 items and a 5-point Likert scale. Overall, 475 pharmacy students responded.

Results

The findings showed that there was adequate knowledge about pharmacovigilance with 53.1% knowing the meaning of pharmacovigilance and 75.4% knowing what adverse drug reactions are. On the other hand, only 29.7% were knowledgeable on causality assessments. Regarding attitudes, the results showed high levels of positivity, where 96% believed in the significance of adverse drug reaction reporting and 82.1% related it to patient safety. Perception showed that 67.5% perceived themselves as competent in adverse drug reaction reporting but at the same time, 78.9% agreed that they needed more training in this field.

Conclusion

Although healthcare students in Pakistan demonstrate a positive attitude and moderate theoretical understanding of pharmacovigilance, there is a marked deficiency in their practical abilities and training. Incorporation of a thorough and practical approach to pharmacovigilance in the curriculum of healthcare institutions is critical for adverse drug reaction reporting.