A STUDY TO ASSESS KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICE OF ADVERSE DRUG REACTION REPORTING AMONG PHYSICIANS IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL

BACKGROUND: Adverse drug reaction (ADR) monitoring and reporting activity is in its infancy in India. Spontaneous reporting of adverse drug reactions (ADR) is an important method in pharmacovigilance, but under-reporting is a major limitation. AIMS: Physicians being frontline caregivers this study was conducted to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of ADR reporting among physicians in a tertiary care hospital. SETTING AND DESIGN: This cross sectional, questionnaire based study was carried out amongst all the physicians working at Rajarajeswari Medical College & hospital, Bangalore over a period of 1 month. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A questionnaire was prepared after a initial pilot study and was distributed among all the physicians. For every Physician 30 minutes was given to fill up the questionnaire. Later on the filled questionnaires were collected and analyzed as per the study objectives. RESULTS: A questionnaire was distributed to 189 physicians, but only 122 returned the questionnaire (response rate of 70.9%). This study revealed inadequate knowledge and poor practice of ADR reporting. Though 56.8% physician felt that they encountered ADRs, only 22.1% had actually ever reported an ADR. The most common reasons of under reporting were lack of time(34.5%), followed by lack of knowledge of reporting procedure (30.4%). But the physicians showed positive attitude towards ADR reporting. 95.0% felt that that ADR reporting is necessary and 79.5% supported for establishing ADR monitoring centre in every hospital. Most of the physicians (95.9%) suggested that continuous medical education and training on ADR reporting is necessary for overcoming the problem of underreporting of ADRs. CONCLUSION: The study results revealed the existence of underreporting of ADRs, but also the willingness of clinicians to be trained in ADR reporting and contributing to the pharmacovigilance programme. It is desirable to initiate workshops and training programs on ADR reporting to overcome the problem of underreporting