Evaluation of the knowledge, attitude and practices on adverse drug reactions and pharmacovigilance among healthcare professionals in a Nepalese hospital: a preliminary study

Under reporting of Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) is a common problem in pharmacovigilance programs. Previous studies conducted out side Nepal acknowledged a poor Knowledge, Attitude and Practices (KAP) among the healthcare professionals regarding ADR monitoring and pharmacovigilance programs. Similar data is lacking in Manipal Teaching hospital (MTH) where pharmacovigilance program was started two years ago. Hence we studied the demographic details of the healthcare professionals and analyzed their knowledge, attitude and practices of healthcare professionals regarding adverse drug reactions and pharmacovigilance. A survey was carryout among healthcare professionals. A KAP questionnaire was developed (Cronbach alpha value 0.72) and given to 24 healthcare professionals (10 doctors, 2 pharmacists and 12 nurses) working at MTH. The KAP questionnaire had a total of 25 questions. Each correct/positive answer was given a score of '1' whereas the negative/wrong answers were given a score of '0'. The total score is 25. Nearly two third (66.7%) of the respondents were in the age group of 20-30 years old. The median duration of service of the respondents was 17 months. The mean ± SD total score was 11.3 ±4 .1 for nurses, 13.6 ± 3.7 for doctors and 13.0±7.1 for pharmacists. The study identified the KAP scores to be low and recommended educational and managerial intervention. It is expected that though these programs the KAP and awareness among the healthcare professionals will improve.