Knowledge, attitude, and practice of healthcare professionals about adverse drug reaction in major tertiary care teaching hospital in Punjab

Abstract

Background: Adverse drug reaction (ADR) has a severe morbidity and mortality associated with it. The safe use of medicines is a critical issue for all healthcare professionals, including physicians, pharmacists, and nurses as well as the public. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of healthcare professionals about ADRs in a tertiary care teaching hospital. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out among the health care professionals in India using a pre-tested questionnaire with 30 questions (18 questions on knowledge, 6 on attitude, 5 on practice, and 1 on training about reporting of ADR). The study was conducted, over a period of 6 months. Results: The questionnaire was distributed to the respondents (n=200). The response rate of 85% was recorded. Among these, only 82 questionnaires were filled in pre-test and 88 questionnaires were filled in post-test after improving awareness through pamphlets. Of the total completed questionnaire (88), 34.88% were filled by physicians, 8.53% by pharmacists, 27.9% by nurses, and 31.3% by medical and paramedical interns. Conclusions: The health care professionals have little KAP toward ADR reporting. Healthcare professionals with higher experience such as (>10 years experience) have better KAP. With additional training on pharmacovigilance, the Indian healthcare professionals working in different sectors can become part of ADR reporting system.