KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE, PRACTICE, AND PERCEIVED BARRIERS TOWARD PHARMACOVIGILANCE AND ADVERSE DRUG REACTION REPORTING AMONG HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL IN KERALA

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess knowledge, attitude, practice, and perceived barriers related to pharmacovigilance and adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting among healthcare professionals in a tertiary care hospital in Kerala. Methods: This hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted from July to December 2025 at Valluvanad Hospital, Ottapalam, Kerala. One hundred healthcare professionals completed a 36-item bilingual questionnaire covering knowledge, attitude, practice, and perceived barriers. Domain scores were summarized using descriptive statistics and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Associations with demographic variables were assessed using Pearson chi-square tests; the sparse gender–practice table was additionally analyzed using the Fisher-Freeman-Halton exact test. Cramér’s V measured association strength, and correlations were reported with 95% CIs. Results: Among 100 participants, 54.0% were female and 28.0% were nurses. Moderate knowledge was observed in 70.0%, while 58.0% had an unfavorable attitude and 72.0% had poor ADR-reporting practice. Mean scores were 4.27/9 (95% CI 4.04–4.50) for knowledge, 22.24/45 (21.14– 23.34) for attitude, 2.47/9 (2.13–2.81) for practice, and 28.81/45 (27.43–30.19) for perceived barriers. Gender was associated with practice on exact testing (p=0.007), although sparse cells limit interpretation. Practice showed the strongest inverse correlation with perceived barriers (r=−0.480, 95% CI −0.618–−0.313; p=0.001), whereas attitude showed no relationship with barriers (r=0.003, p=0.976). Conclusion: Moderate pharmacovigilance knowledge coexisted with poor ADR-reporting practice. Perceived barriers were most strongly associated with lower practice, supporting simplified reporting pathways, practical training, protected reporting time, and stronger institutional feedback.