Knowledge and perception of pharmacovigilance among pharmacy students and pharmacy professional students

Abstract

Background: Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR) contributes to high morbidity and mortality rate worldwide. This can be minimised through pharmacovigilance. It is important to evaluate the level of knowledge and perception of pharmacovigilance among pharmacy students. Objective: To describe the level of knowledge and perceptions of final-year pharmacy students and students of pharmacy professional programs in Yogyakarta regarding pharmacovigilance. Method: A cross-sectional study involved 437 pharmacy students from five different universities in Yogyakarta, who were selected using a convenience sampling technique. Data were analysed to describe the characteristics of the respondents and their level of knowledge and perceptions about pharmacovigilance. Result: The majority of final year students in pharmacy and pharmacy professional programs had acquired a high level of knowledge about pharmacovigilance with a percentage of 54.0%. They also shared a positive perception of the implementation of pharmacovigilance with a percentage of 55.6%. Conclusion: Final-year pharmacy students and students of the pharmacy professional program have good knowledge and perceptions towards pharmacovigilance.