Abstract

Background: Ensuring the safety of pharmaceutical products, including drugs, vaccines, and biologicals, is essential to safeguard public health by guaranteeing their efficacy and security. Unfortunately, medication-related errors combined with imprudent medication practices frequently lead to significant repercussions for global health-care systems.

Aims and Objectives: This study was undertaken to evaluate the comprehension, perspective, and conduct of postgraduate students and doctors regarding pharmacovigilance, as well as to identify barriers hindering the reporting of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) within tertiary care hospitals associated with the Government Medical College in Jalgaon.

Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional research endeavor took place within the tertiary care hospitals associated with the Government Medical College in Jalgaon. This study planned from June 2018 to March 2021 and involved registered doctors employed in tertiary care hospitals and postgraduates. Throughout this duration, a total of 220 eligible participants who met the inclusion criteria and consented to be part of the study successfully filled out and submitted the validated structured questionnaires.

Results: The results showed that the overall level of knowledge and attitude toward pharmacovigilance was good, with a mean score of 7.41 ± 1.05 out of 10 for knowledge and 4.02 ± 0.61 out of five for attitude. However, the level of practice was poor, with only 36.4% of participants reporting that they had ever reported an adverse drug reaction. The study also found that postgraduate students had a better level of knowledge and attitude toward pharmacovigilance compared to doctors.

Conclusion: The study highlights the need for increased awareness and education on pharmacovigilance among health-care professionals, particularly in terms of reporting ADRs.

Key words: Pharmacovigilance; Postgraduate Students; Adverse Drug Reaction