A Cross-Sectional Study on Knowledge and Perceptions of Pharmacovigilance among Pharmacy Students of Selected Tertiary Institutions in Jordan

Purpose: To assess the perceptions and knowledge of pharmacovigilance and adverse drug reactions (ADRs) reporting among Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm) and Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) students of selected tertiary institutions in Jordan.
Methods: A cross-sectional study involving 434 pharmacy students from three different Jordanian universities was conducted from March - April 2014. During the study period, a validated structured questionnaire was administered to the participants to assess their knowledge and perceptions regarding pharmacovigilance and ADRs reporting process.
Results: Majority of the students had insufficient awareness and lack of knowledge of pharmacovigilance and ADRs reporting with a mean knowledge score of 4/10. PharmD students had better knowledge about pharmacovigilance and ADRs reporting system than the BPharm students (knowledge score of 5.4 versus 3.2, respectively; p < 0.001). Also, higher knowledge scores were recorded for public university and fifth-year students (p < 0.001). About two-thirds of the students expressed a positive attitude toward pharmacovigilance and ADRs issues and agreed that they would be willing to report ADRs during their clerkship programme.
Conclusion: BPharm and PharmD students have insufficient knowledge of the concept of pharmacovigilance and ADRs reporting. There is a need to incorporate pharmacovigilance into pharmacy curriculum in order to increase its awareness among pharmacy students as this will positively impact on their practice and enhance public health.

Keywords
Pharmacovigilance; Adverse drug reactions reporting; Pharmacy students; Knowledge; Perception; Awareness; Attitude