A CROSS-SECTIONAL QUESTIONNAIRE BASED STUDY ON KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICE OF PHARMACOVIGILANCE AMONG SECOND PROFESSIONAL MBBS STUDENTS

Background: Integrity is the cornerstone of pharmacovigilance. Underreporting is the main issue being faced by Pharmacovigilance programme. It is our moral duty as law-abiding citizens and medical professionals to report adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in order to protect patients’ health. Aim and Objective: To study about the knowledge, attitude, practice of Pharmacovigilance among second professional MBBS students of SMCH. Materials and Methods: This is a questionnaire based cross sectional study. After gaining informed consent, 128 students were given the pre-tested, pre-validated questionnaire (knowledge 1–12, attitude 13–18, and practice 19–23) via Google form. Thirty minutes later the response was gathered. Microsoft Excel version 21 was used to statistically analyse the collected data. Result: Response rate was 100%. Of the participants, 97.7%, 81.3%, 85.9%, 87.5%, and 85.9% correctly answered questions about the definition of pharmacovigilance, the distinction between adverse drug reactions and adverse events, how to report adverse drug reactions, and the goals and techniques of pharmacovigilance. With regard to mindset, all students were aware of the importance and advantages of reporting ADRs. 98.4% of students were aware of SMCH having an ADR monitoring centre. About the practice, 98.4% had seen the ADR reporting form, 44.5% had dealt with ADRs, only 14.8% had reported ADRs, and 89.8% believed that ADRs should be reported if they were encountered. Conclusion: Students showed appreciable knowledge and attitudes regarding pharmacovigilance, but they applied them sparingly in real-world settings. As our future health care providers, students should get early sensitization through training programs.