Knowledge, attitude, and practice in pharmacovigilance and adverse drug reaction reporting among community pharmacists in Erbil city

Background and objective: Pharmacovigilance and adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting are crucial for safeguarding medication safety. Community pharmacists play a vital role in the identification and reporting of ADRs. The objective of this study is to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practice of community pharmacists in Erbil city about pharmacovigilance and ADR reporting. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out utilizing a structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire that involved a sample of 350 community pharmacists via convenience sampling method. The questionnaire collected demographic data and the pharmacist's knowledge, attitude, and practice toward pharmacovigilance and ADR reporting. SPSS was used for data entry and analysis. Results: Among the participants, 47.4% displayed poor knowledge, 46.6% exhibited moderate knowledge, and merely 6% demonstrated a good knowledge. More than half of the participants (54.9%) maintained an overall positive attitude; however, the majority (58.6%) exhibited poor practices. The results indicated a statistically significant association between participants' knowledge and attitude levels, as well as between knowledge and practice levels (P <0.001). However, there was no statistically significant association between participants attitudes and practice levels (P = 0.815). Conclusion: The study's findings revealed that slightly more than half of pharmacists had adequate fundamental knowledge of pharmacovigilance and ADR reporting and exhibited generally positive attitudes, yet gaps were evident in the practical application of ADR reporting practices. Additional training and education may still be necessary to gain a more profound understanding of the details of pharmacovigilance and enhance pharmacists’ engagement with ADR reporting.