A cross-sectional study on pharmacovigilance among rural doctors and private practitioners

Introduction: Rise in the introduction of newer drugs in the market has increased the need to monitor the adverse drug reactions (ADRs) to ensure patient safety. To overcome this need, a nation-wide Pharmacovigilance Programme was initiated by the Government of India with an objective to assure drug safety. Even after a decade of its initiation, the program is in the stage of infancy. Aims and Objectives: To document knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) regarding pharmacovigilance among Primary Health Center/Community Health Centers (PHC/CHC) and private doctors. To document the opinion of PHC/CHC and private doctors with regard to reporting of ADRs. Materials and Methods: Doctors working in private setup, PHC and CHC in rural district and doctors willing to give written informed consent were included. A cross-sectional study design was used. KAP questionnaire was designed to assess the demographic details of doctors, their knowledge of pharmacovigilance, attitudes toward pharmacovigilance and practice on ADR reporting. Data entry and analysis was done using SPSS software. Results: 109 doctors of PHC/CHC and private set-up responded in the study. Out of 109 doctors, 52 were private practitioners. The mean age of participants was 43.09 ± 14.15 years. 56 (51.4%) of PHC/CHC and private set-up doctors were aware regarding the existence of a National Pharmacovigilance Programme in India. 107 (98.2%) doctors of PHC/CHC and private set up have the opinion that there is the necessity of reporting ADRs. Conclusion: This study will definitely act as a sensitizer toward ADR reporting among rural and private doctors. It is the need of the hour that doctors must spare time out of their busy schedule to report ADRs. Strong policy formation should be done to motivate them for reporting ADRs.