Pharmacy students' Knowledge and perceptions about pharmacovigilance in Malaysian public universities

• Main Authors: Efan, Q.M.A (Author), Elkalmi, R.M (Author), Hadi, M.A (Author), Hassali, M.A (Author), Ibrahim, M.I.M (Author), Widodo, R.T (Author)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy 2011
• Online Access: View Fulltext in Publisher; View in Scopus
• ISBN: 00029459 (ISSN)
• DOI: 10.5688/ajpe75596

Objective. To assess senior pharmacy students' knowledge of and perceptions about pharmacovigilance and reporting of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) at 5 public universities in Malaysia Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted between December 1, 2010, and January 31, 2010, using a validated self-administered questionnaire delivered to a sample of 510 final-year (fourth-year) pharmacy students at 5 Malaysian public universities. Results. Four hundred twenty-one (84%) students responded to the survey. About 60% (n 5 240) indicated that they had taken courses on the concept of pharmacovigilance during their current pharmacy curriculum. The mean score for knowledge about pharmacovigilance and ADR reporting was 6.961.4. There was a significant difference in the mean scores for knowledge about pharmacovigilance across the 5 universities. The majority (82.3%) of respondents felt it was necessary to confirm the causal relationship between the drug and the ADR. About 57.8% (n 5 241) of the respondents believed that pharmacy students are competent and capable of reporting ADRs during their clerkships. The majority (87.0%) of respondents perceived that pharmacy students should be taught how to report ADRs. Conclusion. The results of this study demonstrate that the majority of final-year pharmacy students in Malaysian public universities have insufficient knowledge about pharmacovigilance and ADR reporting.