Awareness among tertiary care doctors about Pharmacovigilance Programme of India: Do endocrinologists differ from others?

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Reporting adverse drug reactions (ADRs) associated with drug use is an important factor in patient safety. Majority of ADRs are preventable through improved prescribing and monitoring. Endocrinologists prescribe drugs with actions on almost all organs and for relatively longer durations. ADR are expected following the use of these drugs. Pharmacovigilance is the study of drug-related adverse effects aimed at protecting patients and public from drug-related harms. The concept of pharmacovigilance is relatively new in India, and this survey is an attempt to explore awareness among doctors of an establishing institution of national importance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The survey was conducted on faculty and resident doctors by administering a written structured questionnaire in a voluntary manner. The questionnaire contained questions meant to evaluate their awareness, understanding, and misconception about ADR reporting. Identity of the responder was kept confidential. RESULTS: A total of 106 (faculty = 56; residents = 50) participated in survey. The most common cause cited for not reporting an ADR was “do not know how to report” by 64.15%. Majority of them (64%) had no information about the Pharmacovigilance Programme of India (PvPI), and only few (8.5%) had actually reported or published an ADR. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS: ADRs are major public health problem that needs to be addressed at all levels of health care. High index of clinical suspicion are crucial for their timely detection and management. Various educational interventions have shown to improve medical professionals’ awareness, understanding about ADRs and in their reporting behavior. PvPI is an important initiative toward ensuring patient safety.