Title: A Survey on Awareness about Pharmacovigilance among Community Pharmacists in Resource Limited Settings of India
Authors: *Nasr Khallafallah Nasr Elhidrbi, Mouaid Mohamed Eltayeb, Tirupa M, Dr Mohanraj Rathinavelu, Dr. Y. Padmanabha Reddy
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18535/jmscr/v3i10.55
Over the past four decades there has been a trend for pharmacy practice to move away from its original focus on medicine supply towards a more inclusive focus on patient care. Due to the introduction of a large number of potent toxic chemicals as drugs in the last two or three decades the detection of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) has become increasingly significant. Physicians, pharmacist and nurses are in a position to play a major key role in pharmacovigilance programs. The current cross sectional questionnaire survey of six months duration was designed to assess the pharmacovigilance awareness among the pharmacists in community settings in a resource limited settings of south India by administering a Pre-designed questionnaire. Among the 120 pharmacists working in community settings only 80% (96) provided their responses. Of the responses 75% (72) were analyzed and the rest were not included in the analysis because of incomplete information. This study showed little awareness about the Pharmacovigilance system among the pharmacists in community settings of resource limited setting in south India. The pharmacists primarily did not know the definition and purpose of Pharmacovigilance. In conclusion, Community Pharmacists have very little basic knowledge about pharmacovigilance. The simulations about pharmacovigilance can be incorporated in the syllabus of diploma and degree curriculum of pharmacy by Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) by which the practice of pharmacy and pharmaceutical care concepts can be well established. Keywords: Community pharmacists, cross sectional survey, pharmacovigilance, professional practice. 1. Hepler CD, Strand LM. Opportunities and responsibilities in pharmaceutical care. Am J Hosp Pharm 1990; 47:533–43. 2. The role of the pharmacist in the health care system. Preparing the future pharmacist: Curricular development. Report of a third WHO Consultative Group on the role of the pharmacist, Vancouver, Canada, 27–29 August 1997. Geneva: World Health Organization; 1997. WHO/PHARM/97/599. Available at: http: //www.who.int/medicinedocs/ 3. WHO policy perspectives on medicines. Pharmacovigilance: ensuring the safe use of medicines. Geneva: world health organization; 2004. Available at http://www.who.int/medicines/. 4. Von Laue NC, Schwappach DL, Koeck CM. The epidemiology of preventable adverse drug events: a review of literature. Wien Klin Wochenschr 2003 July 15; 115(12):407-15. 5. Wu WK, Pantaleo N et al Evaluation of outpatient adverse drug reactions leading to hospitalization. Am J Health Syst Pharm 2003 February 1; 60(3):253-9. 6. Faich GA. Adverse-drug-reaction monitoring. N Engl J Med. 1986; 314(24):1589-1592. 7. ASHP guidelines on adverse drug reaction monitoring and reporting. Am J Health Syst Pharm. 1995; 52(4):417 419 8. Christropher F. Green, David R. Mottram, Philip H. Rowe, Munnir Pirmohammed, Attitudes and Knowledge of hospital Pharmacists to adverse drug reaction reporting, BJCP; Volume 51, Issue 1, page 81 – 86, January 2001. 9. Rajesh R, Vidyasagar S, Nandakumar K. Highly active antiretroviral therapy induced adverse drug reactions in Indian human immunodeficiency virus positive patients. Pharmacy Practice 2011 Jan- Mar; 9(1):48-55.Abstract
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