Affiliations: Department of Pharmacology, Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University Medical College, Pune, India
Note: [] Address for correspondence: R. Sanghvi Dhara, 701, New PG Hostel, Bharati Vidyapeeth Campus, Dhankawadi, 411042 Pune, India. Tel.: +91 9923390670 (M); E-mail: dr_dharasanghavi@yahoo.com
Abstract: INTRODUCTION: One of the important pillars of an efficient pharmacovigilance system is contribution by healthcare professionals in the form of spontaneous reporting. This study was aimed at investigating the knowledge, attitude and practice of spontaneous ADR reporting among doctors in a teaching hospital in Pune, and to analyze the effect of an informative lecture about Pharmacovigilance on the same. METHODOLOGY: This was an interventional study conducted among 220 doctors at a tertiary care teaching hospital, Pune. Each participant was explained the purpose of study and asked to fill in a questionnaire about their knowledge, attitude and practice of pharmacovigilance. Only 80 of them attended the interventional lecture on Pharmacovigilance and again filled up the questionnaire after a period of one month from this intervention. RESULTS: Merely 7.5% of the participants knew ADR reporting system in India. Majority of the respondents (95%) knew that, as doctors, they could report ADRs but were unaware about the methodology to report (92.5%) which affected their practice of Pharmacovigilance. All (100%) the participants expressed that proper training should be provided to clinicians for ADR reporting & 81% felt ADR reporting should be made mandatory. Only 80 participants (36.4%) attended the interventional lecture which reflected a poor response. Intervention improved their (96%) knowledge about ADR reporting system and now majority of them (92%) agreed that all sort of ADRs should be reported (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Attitude towards ADR reporting was positive but knowledge about ADR reporting system was inadequate among doctors working in a teaching hospital in Pune. Education helped in improving knowledge and had an impact on attitude of participants regarding pharmacovigilance.
