Evaluation of knowledge, attitude and behaviours towards pharmacovigilance and adverse drug reaction reporting among health care professionals

Pharmacovigilance (PV) is necessary for the proper use of drugs and the safety of patients. All healthcare professionals (HCPs) have a professional responsibility to spontaneously report adverse drug reactions (ADRs). This thesis was consist of a systematic review and research study to achieve research objectives. The systematic review's objective was to assess the existing literature on the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of HCPs concerning PV and reporting of ADR in Türkiye. While, the research study aimed to evaluate HCPs (doctors, dentists, pharmacists, nurses, midwives, and paramedics) current KAP and barriers to PV and reporting of ADR in multicenter healthcare institutions in Adana, Türkiye. A systematic review identified available literature regarding observational cross-sectional studies exploring the HCPs' KAP about PV and reporting of ADR in various geographic areas of Türkiye. Whereas, our research study included a face-to-face survey and was carried out among HCPs who were currently working in different hospitals in 10 districts of Adana, Türkiye. Data were gathered using a self-administered and previously tested questionnaire (Cronbach's alpha=0.894). The final version of the questionnaire had 58 questions divided into five sections including sociodemographic/general information, knowledge, attitude, practices, and barriers. The gathered data was examined in SPSS (version 25) via descriptive statistics, the chi-square, Kruskal–Wallis, Mann-Whitney, Factor analysis, and logistic regression tests. In a systematic review, approximately 69.1% of HCPs in Türkiye were unaware about the national PV center, 37.5% of HCPs thought that ADR reporting is not essential, and 87.5% indicated that they had never reported an ADR before in their practice. Shortage of time, uncertainty, and not knowing where to report were the most frequently mentioned obstacles to PV. In our research study, among all the included participants (n=412), the majority (60.4%) of HCPs had never obtained training on PV. Poor knowledge, positive attitudes, and poor practices were found in 51.9%, 71.1%, and 92.5% of HCPs, respectively. Lack of training and the profession of the HCPs were predictors of poor ADR reporting (p < 0.05). A significant statistical difference (p < 0.05) was also observed between HCPs and KAP scores. The main obstacles that were expected to deter HCPs from reporting ADRs were a heavier workload (63.8%), the belief that a single report of ADR has no impact (63.6%), and an absence of a professional environment (51.9%). Our systematic review identified a significant KAP gap in Türkiye toward PV activities. Similarly, our research study findings showed that most HCPs had poor knowledge and practice but had a positive attitude regarding PV and reporting of ADRs. Barriers to ADR under-reporting were also identified. The development of a compulsory unified PV education intervention for future HCPs to rationally report drug-related ADR is critical for a better healthcare system.