KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICES TOWARDS PHARMACOVIGILANCE AMONG HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS IN MUKONO GENERAL HOSPITAL,MUKONO DISTRICT. A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY.

Background Adverse Drug reactions are an important contributor to patient morbidity and hospitalization in Uganda. This may be linked to under reporting of ADRs among patients. Reporting adverse drug reactions is a professional responsibility crucial for patient safety in Pharmacovigilance. The study was aimed at assessing the knowledge, attitude, and practices of pharmacovigilance among health care professionals at Mukono General Hospital. Methodology A descriptive cross-sectional study was adopted, with a purposive sampling technique to obtain a sample of 50 participants. Data was collected with the help of questionnaires. The collected data was further analyzed and presented in the form of tables and graphs. Results Findings reveal that the majority (68%) were females, (32%) were males, and (52%) were aged 31-40 years. Professionally, (60%) were nurses, while the least, (2%) were from other professions. There was moderate knowledge about pharmacovigilance, as only (58%) could define it. ADRs reporting was seen as an obligation of health workers, (86%) had ever heard about adverse drug reaction reporting, and (68%) of the respondents knew the regulatory body responsible for monitoring ADRs. Furthermore, 88% had a good attitude towards reporting of ADRs since they thought reporting adverse drug reactions was necessary. In addition, the practice towards pharmacovigilance was poor, where (88%) had never reported ADRs to the Pharmacovigilance center, and (74%) of respondents had never been trained on how to report ADRs. Conclusion There was moderate knowledge and a good attitude towards reporting of ADRs, while the practice towards pharmacovigilance was poor. Recommendation The government, the Ministry of Health, and hospital administrators should organize educational seminars to encourage ADR reporting and provide knowledge on ADRs and ADR reporting.