Assessment of an educational module on Pharmacovigilance among hospital pharmacists in United Arab Emirates: A pilot study

Background: Pilot research was conducted to assess the feasibility of a pharmacovigilance educational module for hospital pharmacists in the United Arab Emirates. Methods: A four-hour education module was held at a private hospital in Dubai. A pre-educational module survey assessed the knowledge, attitude, practice, barriers, and suggestions that could improve adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting. The module was formulated using Miller's pyramid as a framework, and it covered an introduction to pharmacovigilance, how to report ADRs and practical aspects. Pre- and post-educational module surveys were used to compare and assess the impact of the educational module. Results: The results showed that the primary hurdle preventing pharmacists from practising this approach is a lack of knowledge of the ADR reporting process, which was improved drastically by the educational module with positive feedback. Conclusion: The findings showed that this module has the potential to be incorporated into ongoing pharmacy professional development initiatives.