Journal of Pharmacovigilance

Abstract

The Current Perspective of Community Pharmacists towards Pharmacovigilance

Mohammed Salim, Nimisha Hussain, T Balasubramanian, Muhammed Lubab, Nayana SA, Nimisha Hussein and Nathaliya PM

The adverse drug reaction (ADR) programme in India, targeted all healthcare professionals to report the ADRs, however the response is very limited. The ADR reporting is much concentrated to hospital settings and the community pharmacies are unaware of this change. This study was conducted to assess the attitude, knowledge and behaviour of community pharmacists to ADR related aspects. A prospective study carried out over six months, self-prepared validated questionnaire was used. Awareness programme was conducted and a feedback questionnaire was provided. Improvement was seen after awareness programme. The response rate obtained was 93.7%. Pharmacist realizes the benefit a patient can obtain if an ADR is reported and some had noticed ADR. Few pharmacists knew about Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) as a centre for reporting ADRs. Majority of pharmacists would direct the patients to the physician, in case of occurrences of ADR. According to 26.67% of the pharmacists in the study, busy schedule is considered as a vital factor for under-reporting an ADR. Proper training need to be provided to the community pharmacist to get updated knowledge regarding the ADRs.