Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude and Practices (KAP) of Health Professionals Towards Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) and Pharmacovigilance in a Tertiary Hospital of North India

Pharmacovigilance is a method of quick detection and reporting, of adverse drug reactions and adverse drug events after drug is in clinical use, thus preventing major drug events. Ignorance of physicians in developing world, about reporting adverse drug reaction is a big roadblock to pharmacovigilance. This cascades into many problems e.g.; increased lab to clinic interval, increased premarketing expense for newer drugs. In quickly changing genomes scenario it leads to almost fatal therapeutic failures. The huge population of India and lack of appropriate post marketing surveillance contribute towards disasters due to adverse drug reactions. With evolution of pharmaceutical industry, the Indian doctors have gained wide knowledge of drugs but the area of adverse drug reactions still remains neglected. Indian Government launched National Pharmacovigilance Programme in 2004 to inculcate the culture of Adverse Drug Reaction reporting among Indian health professionals. Medical Council of India has also made Pharmacovigilance Programme mandatory in every medical college. Still the picture is disheartening. Motivated to improve Adverse Drug Event reporting in Chattrapati Shivaji Subharti Hospital, the present survey was conducted to find Knowledge, Attitude, Practices (KAP) of physicians, surgeons & nurses regarding Adverse Drug Reaction reporting. KeywordsPharmacovigilance, Adverse Drug Reactions(ADR), Adverse Drug Event (ADE), KAP