Exploration of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Pharmacovigilance Among HealthCare Professionals: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction: To ensure the safe use of pharmaceuticals and the detection of adverse drug reactions, it is essential to have an understanding of pharmacovigilance. Although India is running the Pharmacovigilance Program of India, still the spontaneous reporting rate is very low. There is a requirement to be aware healthcare professionals about the importance of pharmacovigilance. This study is conducted to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of pharmacovigilance among healthcare professionals in the Northern region of Uttar Pradesh. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conceptualized by a Google forms-based questionnaire with 16 questions (08 of knowledge, 05 of attitude, and 03 of practice) a suitable means of assessing the essential knowledge, attitude, and practice of pharmacovigilance. The questionnaire was distributed among the healthcare professionals from March 2024 to April 2024. Result: 390 pretested questionnaires were circulated among healthcare professionals, and 332 of them were answered by the respondents i.e., the response rate was 85.12 %. Among all the respondents 63.25 % were males and 36.74 % were females. It was observed in this study that healthcare professionals have limited theoretical knowledge about pharmacovigilance. Despite a positive attitude toward the requirement of reporting adverse drug reactions, healthcare professionals showed less reporting practice. Conclusion: Healthcare professionals lack adequate knowledge and skill in reporting adverse drug reactions but have a positive attitude toward pharmacovigilance programs. Incorporation of adverse drug reaction reporting concepts in education curriculum, training, and voluntary participation of healthcare professionals in adverse drug reaction reporting is very crucial in achieving safety goals and safeguarding public health.