Abstract

Background: Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are an important public health problem in terms of mortality, morbidity as well as costs. However, studies worldwide have shown gross under-reporting with a rate of just 6–10%. Knowledge and attitude of health-care professionals about ADR greatly influence the extent of reporting. Educational interventions such as lectures, CMEs on pharmacovigilance (PvG) have proven to improve the rate of reporting. Hence, this study was conducted among new interns to assess their awareness, attitude, and practice patterns toward ADR reporting. Aims and Objectives: (1) To assess the knowledge and awareness regarding ADR reporting, (2) to assess attitude and practice patterns, and (3) to assess barriers to reporting among interns.
Materials and Methods: A validated questionnaire based cross-sectional study was conducted among the medical interns in a tertiary health care center. Data were assessed by frequency, percentage. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 22.
Results: Of the 100 interns in the study, more than 80% were aware about who can report an ADR and the type of ADR. 90% knew that ADR can occur with drugs, vaccines and herbal products too. However, 52% did not know about the PvG center or reporting system in the hospital. Only 20% had reported an ADR, the common drug being penicillin. 97% had never filled the ADR notification forms. Conclusion: Knowledge regarding ADRs was found to be adequate with the positive and right attitude toward reporting, but the actual reporting practice was found to be poor and needs to be improved. Hence, it is essential to include lectures on ADR and PvG, hands-on training, CMEs and interactive workshops in the MBBS curriculum, to promote reporting of ADRs, particularly among interns.