Healthcare students' knowledge, attitude and perception of pharmacovigilance: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVE:The objective of this review is to evaluate the existing evidence about the knowledge, attitude, and perceptions (KAP) of healthcare students towards pharmacovigilance and adverse drug reactions reporting (ADRs). METHODS:A systematic literature search was conducted using MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, ERIC, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews via OVID. This review restricted the search to studies published in English from inception until December 2019. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES:The primary outcome was healthcare students' knowledge, attitude, and perceptions of pharmacovigilance. RESULTS:Of the 664 articles identified, twenty-nine studies were included in the review. Overall, healthcare students vary in their knowledge and attitude towards pharmacovigilance and ADRs reporting. There was inconsistency in measuring KAP between the studies and the main drawback in the literature is lacking validated KAP measures. CONCLUSIONS:In summation, optimal KAP assessment can be achieved through developing a standard validated measure. Our future healthcare providers should have basics pharmacovigilance knowledge in order to rationally reporting ADRs and preventing serious health problems

Burnout and Depressive Symptoms in Healthcare Professionals: A Cross-Sectional Study in Saudi Arabia

Objectives. The study objectives were to examine the prevalence of burnout among healthcare professionals, analyze the association of depression and burnout among healthcare professionals, and explore the factors related to burnout. Methods. A prospective cross-sectional study using a validated questionnaire was conducted among healthcare professionals in a tertiary teaching hospital in Saudi Arabia’s central region. The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) questionnaire was used to measure burnout through emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment. Descriptive and inferential statistics were carried out using SAS version 9.4. Results. The study sample was composed of 139 healthcare professionals. Around 48% of the study sample were nurses, 26% were physicians, 19% were pharmacists, and 6% were other healthcare professionals. About 61% screened positive for depression. Overall, one third of the participants had a high risk of burnout. Around 61.8% of the participants were in the high-risk group of the EE, 58.3% of the DP, and 41.0% of the PA subscales. Scores for the overall MBI were significantly different between various age groups, gender, those with social and financial responsibility, income, job titles, or years of experience. A higher risk of burnout in all subscales was observed among those with depression. Conclusions. A high risk of burnout was observed among healthcare professionals. The level of burnout was connected to workplace factors and the presence of depression. The burnout suffering among these healthcare professionals underlines the need to study further how to reduce the factors that contribute to burnout and the impact of interventions to reduce healthcare professionals’ burnout levels. The burnout scientific literature would benefit from further high-quality research with larger samples using longitudinal study designs to identify the causal risk factors

Pharmacovigilance Practices by Healthcare Providers in Oncology: A Cross-Sectional Study

Investigating pharmacovigilance (PV) practices among oncology healthcare providers (HCPs) is crucial for patient safety in oncology settings. This study aimed to assess the awareness, attitudes, and practices towards PV and identify barriers to effective adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting for HCPs working in oncology-related settings. Employing a cross-sectional survey design, we collected data from 65 HCPs, focusing on their experiences with ADR reporting, education on ADR management, and familiarity with PV protocols. The results showed that about half of the responders were pharmacists. Around 58.9% of the respondents reported ADRs internally, and 76.9% had received some form of ADR-related education. However, only 38.5% were aware of formal ADR review procedures. Methotrexate and paclitaxel emerged as the drugs most frequently associated with ADRs. The complexity of cancer treatments was among the common reasons for the low reporting of ADRs by the study participants. The findings highlight the need for enhanced PV education and standardized reporting mechanisms to improve oncology care. We conclude that reinforcing PV training and streamlining ADR-reporting processes are critical to optimizing patient outcomes and safety in oncology, advocating for targeted educational interventions and the development of unified PV guidelines