Knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding pharmacovigilance among hospital pharmacists in China

Abstract

Background: Pharmacovigilance is essential for ensuring patient safety, and hospital pharmacists play a key role in this system. However, their knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) remain understudied in China. Objectives: To evaluate the KAP of hospital pharmacists toward pharmacovigilance in China. Design: Nationwide, cross-sectional study. Methods: This study evaluated the KAP of 9724 hospital pharmacists from 2145 hospitals across all 31 provinces of mainland China using a structured questionnaire and a multi-stage sampling approach. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the KAP of the participants, and multivariable logistic regression was applied to explore the influencing factors of high KAP performance. Results: The proportions of respondents achieving high performance (score ⩾4 out of a maximum of 5) in knowledge, attitudes, and practices were 22.2%, 44.2%, and 68.0%, respectively, with significant correlations between these dimensions (p < 0.001). Misconceptions were prevalent, with 50.1% of pharmacists incorrectly attributing pharmacovigilance responsibility to medical institutions instead of marketing authorization holders (MAHs), and 36.2% misunderstanding pharmacovigilance as solely adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting. A total of 95.5% of respondents expressed a willingness to participate in pharmacovigilance training. The reporting of ADEs/ADRs, medication errors, and drug quality problems to regulatory authorities is well-established nationwide, but 27.8% infrequently or never reported serious ADRs to pharmaceutical companies. Higher educational levels, hospital tiers, and leadership roles positively influenced knowledge and attitude, while male pharmacists showed superior practices compared to females. Clinical pharmacists and team leaders outperformed dispensing pharmacists in all KAP dimensions. Conclusion: Our study reveals a significant scope for enhancement in the KAP of hospital pharmacists pertaining to pharmacovigilance in China. Specifically, there is a critical need to improve the understanding of pharmacovigilance’s scope and responsibilities, and fostering stronger collaborative efforts between medical institutions and MAH is imperative, particularly within targeted pharmacist groups.