Background: Now a days the incidence of adverse drug reactions has been increasing gradually. Thus to promote rational and safe use of medicines and ensuring public confidence regarding the use of medicines pharmacovigilance is essential.
Methodology: Observational cross sectional study was conducted to assess the ADR’s, Severity and preventability for a period of six months in a tertiary care hospital in south India. All patients of either sex who were admitted in different departments .During the study period we evaluated the drugs that were dispensed according to the prescription to all inpatients, drugs which induced adverse reactions, patients who developed adverse drug reactions during hospital stay or hospitalized due to adverse drug reactions were included in the present study. Patients previously used or newly started drugs were monitored and followed up for detecting and recording of adverse drug reaction.
Results: In the study ADR’s mostly occurred in the age group 31-40 (20.3%). Integumentary system was found to be the most commonly affected organ system (22.1 %) among which rashes and urticaria were the most common type of ADR’S reported, majority of the adverse drug reactions were due to antibiotics (19.9%). Similarly Severity assessment shows majority of the reactions as mild (65.5%).
Conclusion: In our study we observed that there is not enough knowledge, attitude and practice of pharmacovigilance among medical professionals. This certainly shows that there is necessary need to improve the awareness of Pharmacovigilance among all healthcare professional and importance of ADR reporting. Reporting of adverse drug reactions should be intensively taught, reinforced during undergraduate study itself and periodically thereafter through continuous education programs.