Pharmacovigilance a Vague Concept to Some Pharmacists

A study involving hundreds of practicing pharmacists revealed low levels of knowledge about pharmacovigilance, a concept the World Health Organization (WHO) defines as the “science and activities relating to the detection, assessment, understanding, and prevention of adverse effects or any other medicine-related problem.”

“Overall, the attitude of the pharmacists was better than their knowledge,” researchers reported in the Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal. “This is not surprising as pharmacy students in Libya are not adequately exposed to pharmacovigilance in their curricula.”

Study findings were based on questionnaires completed by 408 working pharmacists in Tripoli between October 2019 and February 2020. To be included, pharmacists had to have a degree or diploma in pharmacy from a recognized university or institute.

Only 28.9% of pharmacists correctly defined pharmacovigilance, according to the study, and just 14.7% knew about the presence of Libya’s pharmacovigilance center. Regarding adverse drug reactions, less than half of participants correctly defined them, and only 14.7% knew how to report them—yet only 8.8% had actually done so.

Pharmacists expressed positive attitudes toward the importance of pharmacovigilance, however. Some 77.2% said pharmacovigilance should be part of pharmacy curriculums, and 73% said they would practice it if trained, the study found.

“Given the pharmacists’ low level of knowledge about pharmacovigilance but their readiness to become involved if trained, training programs should be introduced for practicing pharmacists to improve their knowledge and encourage their active participation in pharmacovigilance,” researchers advised. “Regulators need to reinforce the importance of reporting adverse drug reactions and implement pharmacovigilance policies in the Libyan health care system.”

Reference:
Atia A, Botto A, Alarbi S. Knowledge, attitudes and practices of pharmacists about pharmacovigilance, Libya. East Mediterr Health J. 2021;27(7):693-697. Published 2021 Jul 29. doi:10.26719/2021.27.7.693