Pharmacovigilance Challenges in Community Pharmacy

Pharmacovigilance (PV) is the monitoring, detection, evaluation, and prevention of adverse drug reactions (ADRs), which is essential to guaranteeing the safety and effectiveness of pharmaceuticals. Since they are the most approachable medical practitioners, community pharmacists are in a prime position to make a substantial contribution to pharmacovigilance initiatives. However, several obstacles prevent their participation from being at its best. The purpose of this Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP) study is to assess community pharmacists' attitudes on pharmacovigilance and pinpoint tactical solutions to current problems. Using a structured questionnaire, a cross-sectional study was carried out among registered community pharmacists to evaluate their practical involvement in ADR reporting, their attitude toward the importance and responsibility of pharmacovigilance, and their understanding of its definitions, goals, and procedures. The survey found that although the majority of pharmacists had a favourable attitude toward pharmacovigilance, there was a large discrepancy between their knowledge and behavior. Lack of training, ignorance of reporting procedures, time restraints, and feared legal ramifications were major obstacles. The study suggests focused educational efforts, pharmacovigilance issues being incorporated into pharmacy curriculum, ongoing professional development initiatives, and the creation of an intuitive digital ADR reporting platform as ways to close these gaps. Furthermore, active pharmacist participation should be recognized and encouraged by national regulatory bodies. Building a strong pharmacovigilance culture at the community level requires cooperation between academic institutions, regulatory agencies, and healthcare facilities. In order to improve therapeutic outcomes and safeguard the public's health, this study emphasizes the critical necessity to increase pharmacists' participation in pharmacovigilance through strategic policy and practice-oriented methods.