KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND BEHAVIOR OF COMMUNITY PHARMACISTS TOWARDS ADVERSE DRUG REACTIONS

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude and behavior of community pharmacists towards Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs).Methods: A questionnaire based survey was held for a period of one month among community pharmacists in the Amalapuram Mandal of East Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh. Questionnaire containing the demographic details, knowledge, attitude and behavior towards ADRs was used to conduct the study. The collected data were analyzed using statistical tool (SAS).Results: Out of the 50 community pharmacists Nine (18%) had respondents knowledge about ADRs and Nine (18%) respondents are from the Pharmacy education background. Among the fifty respondents, Four (8%) participants knew about the National Pharmacovigilance Program (NPP) and three (6%) were aware of regional reporting centers.Conclusion: Our study concluded that the majority of the pharmacists were unaware of Adverse Drug Reactions and the National Pharmacovigilance Program. The survey has shown that community pharmacists in Amalapuram are having least knowledge towards the ADRs.Â