Impact of curriculum reform on pharmacovigilance awareness among Indian medical students: A comparative study of students under Medical Council of India versus Competency-based Medical Education curricula
Swetha Reba Mathews, K. P. Fathima Shabana, Sandra Mary Mathew, Deepak AshokanAbstract:
BACKGROUND:
India’s Competency-Based Medical Education (CBME) curriculum integrates interactive, experiential training to prioritize pharmacovigilance among Indian Medical Graduates (IMG). This study quantifies the impact of this transition on undergraduate medical students’ knowledge and professional attitudes toward drug safety.
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES:
To assess if there is any difference in the knowledge and attitude on pharmacovigilance, among students of the CBME curriculum versus those of the previous MCI curriculum.
MATERIALS AND METHODS:
This prospective cross-sectional study surveyed 145 post-Phase II MBBS students stratified into Group A (MCI curriculum, n = 78) and Group B (CBME curriculum, n = 67). Data were captured via the pre-validated 18-item IMG-Pv-KAP questionnaire (13 knowledge, 5 attitude items) and analysed using independent samples t-test and Cohen’s d effect sizes.
RESULTS:
Group B (CBME) achieved significantly higher knowledge scores (t = 3.804 and P = 0.0002; Cohen’s d = 0.63). Group B also demonstrated significantly better attitude scores (t = 3.164; P = 0.0019; Cohen’s d = 0.53).
CONCLUSION:
The shift to the CBME curriculum has driven a measurable, statistically significant upgrade in both pharmacovigilance knowledge and attitude among Indian Medical Graduates.