Bridging the gap between knowledge and practice in materiovigilance: A cross-sectional survey to assess knowledge, attitude, and practice among doctors in a tertiary care hospital
D. Joshithaa, M. Shamini, S. Keerthi, R. GowthamiAbstract
Introduction:
Materiovigilance (MV) refers to systematic monitoring and evaluation of medical devices (MD) in order to assess their performance and safety. The purpose of MV is to identify and prevent any potential hazards or issues related to MD. This study aims to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of MV among doctors in a tertiary care hospital.
Materials and Methods:
A cross-sectional, observational and questionnaire-based study was conducted among 135 doctors working in various departments of our hospital. Doctors from different specialties who volunteered to participate in this study were enrolled.
Results:
A total of 135 doctors participated, and among them, the mean age was 38.7 ± 10.38 years. Out of which 70.8% of professors had wide knowledge, whereas associate professors (19.9%) had the least knowledge about MV. The overall attitude-based responses were positive among the associate professors, and 95.2% postgraduates felt that MV has to be taught to all healthcare professionals, and every hospital should have a mandatory MDAE reporting center. Most of the professors (54.5%) had experienced MD-related adverse events but lacked in reporting the same. 11.8% of the doctors alone had attended workshops related to MV.
Conclusion:
Despite doctors having adequate knowledge and a positive attitude toward MV, very poor reporting of MDAE is observed. Lack of knowledge on how and where to report an MDAE is a significant barrier leading to under-reporting; hence, more hands-on training workshops have to be conducted to prevent the knowledge gap.