Knowledge and perceptions of pharmacogenomics and personalized medicine among pharmacy students in Gujarat: a cross-sectional survey.

Abstract

Pharmacogenomics (PGx) plays an important role in personalized medicine by explaining genetic variability in drug response and enabling personalized therapy. Although global efforts have integrated PGx into pharmacy curriculum, in India structured education and training regarding PGx still remain limited. Understanding pharmacy students' knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes toward PGx is essential for preparing the future workforce for clinical application in healthcare area. A cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey was conducted among undergraduate and postgraduate pharmacy students at the School of Pharmacy, Gujarat Technological University, Gandhinagar, India, in July 2025. Participants were recruited using a convenience sampling approach, and the survey was administered online via google form using a structured and validated questionnaire. The instrument assessed demographic characteristics, knowledge of pharmacogenomics, attitudes toward its clinical application, and sources of information. Data were analysed using SPSS version 25. A total of 200 pharmacy students participated in the survey. Most students demonstrated good conceptual knowledge of pharmacogenomics, with 92.5% correctly identifying PGx as the study of gene-drug interactions and 82.5% recognizing its role in reducing adverse drug reactions. However, awareness of practical aspects was limited: only 38.5% were aware of pharmacogenomic guidelines such as CPIC, PharmGKB, FDA labelling, and 29% reported prior formal instruction on pharmacogenomics in their curriculum. Despite these knowledge gaps, students expressed highly positive attitudes toward pharmacogenomics. Correlation analysis showed a weak to moderate positive association between knowledge and attitude scores (r = 0.37, p < 0.01), indicating that higher knowledge levels were associated with more favourable attitudes toward pharmacogenomics. This study showed that pharmacy students of Gujarat has a strong conceptual understanding of pharmacogenomics and recognizing its role in gene-drug interactions and the reduction of adverse drug reactions. However, awareness was limited which strongly indicates a gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application. Overall it highlights both existing knowledge of students and the need to enhance practical applicability of pharmacogenomics for the future integration of personalized medicine into clinical practice.