# Impact of Pharmacovigilance Sensitization on Knowledge and Attitude Amongst Medical and Paramedical Students in a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital: A Questionnaire-Based Study

## TL;DR

This study shows that a pharmacovigilance training session improved medical and paramedical students' knowledge and attitudes about drug safety and adverse reaction reporting.

## Contribution

The study demonstrates the effectiveness of sensitization programs in improving pharmacovigilance awareness among healthcare students.

## Key findings

- Medical students had higher pre-test knowledge of ADR reporting and forms compared to paramedical students.
- Both groups showed significant post-intervention improvements in recognizing pharmacovigilance terminology and ADR forms.
- Medical students consistently showed more positive attitudes toward pharmacovigilance after the session.

## Abstract

Introduction

Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are a major cause of morbidity, mortality, and healthcare burden worldwide. Underreporting of ADRs is a major barrier to drug safety, making early sensitization of healthcare students through pharmacovigilance programmes essential. Sensitization during undergraduate training of medical and para-medical students is therefore important to instill early awareness, bridge knowledge gaps, and encourage proactive participation in ADR reporting. The objective of this study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and impact of a pharmacovigilance sensitization session among medical and paramedical students.

Methods

A pre-post interventional study using a validated knowledge-attitude questionnaire was conducted during the fourth National Pharmacovigilance Week (2024) at a tertiary care teaching hospital. Participants (medical, Ayurveda, and paramedical students) completed pre- and post-test surveys. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square tests. Data was analysed with the help of IBM SPSS Statistics for macOS, Version 29.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA).

Results

A total of 259 students participated (130 medical/ayurveda and 129 paramedical) in the study. Pre-test knowledge was significantly higher in medical students regarding ADR reporting (n=107, 82.5% vs. n=81, 62.8%; p=0.0007) and ADR forms (n=80, 62% vs. n=63, 48.8%; p=0.0536). Post intervention, both groups showed significant improvements, especially in recognizing pharmacovigilance terminology (n=71, 87.7% and n=57, 66.3%) and ADR reporting forms (n=49, 98% and n=52, 78.8%). Attitudes also improved, with medical students consistently demonstrating more positive responses.

Conclusion

Sensitization sessions during the National Pharmacovigilance Week significantly improved knowledge and attitudes toward pharmacovigilance and ADR reporting among future healthcare providers. Regular interventions are recommended to sustain awareness.