Usefulness of training of Pharmacovigilance for medical students - a perspective study

Pharmacovigilance, previously more often referred to as adverse drug monitoring or drug surveillance is now regarded as the quality control system of the society regarding the use of medicines. Many new drugs are being introduced in our country. Therefore, there is a need for a vibrant pharmacovigilance system in the country to protect the population from the potential harm that may be caused by some of these new drugs. As we know Pharmacovigilance can only be effective through the active participation of practitioners for consideration this we can effectively train medical students which are future practitioners. In this study, questionnaire will be distributed to know students opinion on the usefulness of pharmacovigilance training, relevance of in reporting adverse drug reactions. The feedback of the students was positive. The students agreed that the sessions made them aware of the concept of Pharmacovigilance. With regards to the success of the current pharmacovigilance program in India, they had a negative response. The study will be helpful in promoting pharmacovigilance programme to be more success by students in their future career as doctors. In a country like India, where medical students are not taught much about the pharmacovigilance, this study gains attention to medical education planner to add in details of pharmacovigilance in curriculum.