Knowledge, attitude, and practice of materiovigilance among postgraduate students at a tertiary care hospital: A cross-sectional observational study

Introduction

Postgraduates play an important role in reporting adverse events connected with medical devices. Many postgraduates are unaware of the present MATERIOVIGILANCE PROGRAMME OF INDIA, which was launched by the Indian Pharmacopeia Commission to monitor adverse events due to medical devices for patient safety. However, there is currently not much-published data on their knowledge, attitude, and practice of materiovigilance in India. This study's objective is to evaluate postgraduate knowledge, attitudes, and practices on materiovigilance in a tertiary care hospital.

Material and methods

This cross-sectional, descriptive study was carried out with postgraduates. A validated, self-administered questionnaire was given to 73 postgraduates. Postgraduates were the volunteers, provided with a sheet containing 25 pre-validated questions with a time limit of 30 min. There were 10 questions based on knowledge, 8 based on attitude, and 7 based on practice to improve the reporting of medical device adverse events (MDAEs).

Results

A total of 73 (100%) responses were received. About 55.41% (n = 40) of postgraduates had adequate knowledge about the various aspects of materiovigilance and 59.46% (n = 44) of postgraduates had a positive attitude towards MDAE reporting. However, 77.03% (56) of postgraduates have good practice towards MDAEs.

Conclusion

Among postgraduates, the attitude towards materiovigilance was optimal. Postgraduates who participated in this study had adequate knowledge and practice of materiovigilance. Adequate training and continuous medical education are needed to improve the current standards of knowledge and practice of materiovigilance.