title: Comparison of the knowledge, attitudes, and perception of barriers regarding adverse drug reaction reporting between pharmacy and medical students in Pakistan.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The goal of this study was to compare the knowledge and attitudes of pharmacy and medical students regarding adverse drug reactions (ADRs), as well as their perceptions of barriers to ADR reporting, in a Higher Education Commission-recognised Pakistani university.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study was conducted among final-year pharmacy (n=91) and medical (n=108) students in Pakistan from June 1 to July 31, 2014. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. The responses of pharmacy students were compared to those of medical students.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Pharmacy students had a significantly better knowledge of ADRs than medical students (mean±SD, 5.61±1.78 vs. 3.23±1.60; P<0.001). Gender showed a significant relationship to knowledge about ADRs, and male participants were apparently more knowledgeable than their female counterparts (P<0.001). The attitudes of pharmacy students regarding their capability to handle and report ADRs were significantly more positive than those of medical students (P<0.05). In comparison to pharmacy students, a lack of knowledge of where and how to report ADRs was the main barrier that medical students perceived to ADR reporting (P=0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Final-year pharmacy students exhibited more knowledge about ADRs and showed more positive attitudes regarding their capacity to handle and report ADRs than final-year medical students.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UCSI University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Muhammad
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-9553-9874
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Umair Khan
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UCSI University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Akram
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-9998-5860
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ahmad
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Civil Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Areeba
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-4085-461X
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ejaz
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, Hamdard University, Karachi, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Syed
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-9886-7192
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ata Rizvi
authors.affiliation: Dow Medical College, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Ayesha
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-9476-021X
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sardar
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, Hamdard University, Karachi, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Kazim
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-1315-6541
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hussain
authors.affiliation: Dow Medical College, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Tayyaba
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zaffar
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy Practice, Kulliyyah of Pharmacy, International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuantan Campus, Kuantan, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Shazia
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-0773-0463
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Q Jamshed
keywords: Comparison; Medical; Pakistan; Pharmacovigilance; Pharmacy; Students