Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Pharmacovigilance among Undergraduate Medical and Dental students in a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital

Background and Aim: Young healthcare professionals are future prescribers and therefore need adequate understanding of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and the importance of timely reporting. Early engagement in pharmacovigilance programs is necessary to improve awareness, strengthen reporting practices, and ensure patient safety. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) regarding pharmacovigilance and ADR reporting among undergraduate medical and dental students at a tertiary care teaching hospital.

Methods: The cross-sectional, questionnaire-based descriptive study was conducted among final-year medical (n=90) and dental (n=61) students. A 20-item self-administered questionnaire with open-ended and closed-ended questions was used to assess participant’s KAP related to pharmacovigilance and ADR reporting.

Results: Medical students demonstrated better pharmacovigilance knowledge than dental students across all domains, including correct definition (93.3% vs 55.7%), identifying drug safety issues (90% vs 63.9%), awareness of India's Pharmacovigilance Programme (100% vs 98.4%), knowledge of regulatory frameworks and reporting tools. Most medical students recognized the importance of including ADR reporting in pharmacology practicals (87.8% vs 73.8%) and its establishment in hospitals (97.8% vs. 72.1%). While most medical students knew about ADR reporting forms (96.7% vs. 14.8%) and had seen ADR cases during clinical postings (81.1% vs. 16.4%), actual reporting rates were still low in both groups (42.2% vs. 3.3%).

Conclusion: Both medical and dental students demonstrated basic knowledge and positive attitude toward pharmacovigilance; however, ADR reporting practices were low comparatively low among dental students. These findings underscore the need for structured pharmacovigilance training programs to improve ADR reporting practices and enhance patient safety.