A Questionnaire based Cross-sectional Study to assess Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Pharmacovigilance and Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting among Postgraduate Medical students in a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital of South India

Spontaneous reporting of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) is one of the most common methods to obtain safety data. Lack of awareness is a major reason for under reporting. Hence, this study was undertaken to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) of the postgraduates about pharmacovigilance and ADR reporting in Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS), Bengaluru, a tertiary care teaching hospital.

A cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey was conducted among postgraduate students in a tertiary care teaching hospital in South India to evaluate the participants’ knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) on ADRs and Pharmacovigilance. A pre-designed and validated questionnaire containing 14 questions was used to assess knowledge, attitude and practice. The filled KAP questionnaires were analyzed and their percentage value was calculated by using Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.

A total of 120 postgraduate students participated in the study. Around 81% of participants agreed that reporting of ADRs is a professional obligation and all ADRs should be reported. They did not have adequate knowledge regarding the purpose of monitoring ADRs and 22.5% of study participants were unclear as to where and how to report ADRs. Unfortunately, only 12.5% of participants actually reported ADRs due to lack of proper sensitization and knowledge of pharmacovigilance and ADR.

This study revealed that the postgraduate students have a good attitude towards ADR reporting. However, they lack knowledge and the actual practice of ADR reporting is still lacking among them. There is a need to create awareness among the health care professionals about ADR reporting and pharmacovigilance. Educational interventions targeting the medical fraternity should be implemented to help improve spontaneous reporting and knowledge of pharmacovigilance and ADR.