Knowledge, attitude and practice of pharmacists to pharmacovigilance and adverse drug reactions reporting process: a cross-sectional study in Kosovo

Pharmacovigilance (PV) and drug safety monitoring have an essential role in protecting public health. A cross-sectional study evaluated pharmacist knowledge, attitude and practice toward PV and adverse drug reactions (ADRs) reporting. The structured validated questionnaire was distributed to 550 randomly selected pharmacists in the whole Kosovo region. 405 out of 550 pharmacists responded to the questionnaire. Most pharmacists have insufficient knowledge about pharmacovigilance and the ADRs reporting process. The main reasons for under-reporting were little knowledge of pharmacovigilance and adverse reporting process, lack of time, and lack of infrastructure. However, pharmacists showed a positive attitude and stated that they would practice pharmacovigilance if they receive the training. There is a necessity to intensify communication among all stakeholders involved in PV. In addition, continuous training and education are needed to increase pharmacist's awareness and knowledge of PV and their participation in the ADRs reporting process. Keywords: Pharmacovigilance, adverse drug reaction, knowledge, attitude, practice, pharmacists, Kosovo