Publication:

Breaking barriers: a study on knowledge, attitudes, and practices of Materiovigilance among healthcare workers in Central India

Background Materiovigilance (Mv) plays a crucial role in patient safety, as medical device adverse events (MDAE) and its reporting and monitoring will help to ensure safety of patient. Healthcare professionals’ awareness and participation, however, remain suboptimal despite implementation of Mv program of India (MvPI) in 2015. An in-depth understanding of their knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) is key to bridging gap between policy and practice.

Methods This was an observational, cross-sectional study using a survey on Google Forms sent through social networks. The survey comprised 22 questions related to KAP regarding Mv. Survey responses were obtained from healthcare professionals in Central India. Data were analysed to identify trends and gaps in awareness and engagement.

Results The 344 out of 500 doctors, Postgraduate residents responded, yielding a response rate of 68.8%. A total of 91.8% accepted adverse event caused by medical devices, and 82.5% accepted that it is responsibility for healthcare professionals to report the events. Despite of having encountered adverse events related to medical device in practice 73.8%, a minor proportion, 25.6%, reported adverse events, while 85.5% showed willingness to report.

Conclusions Preliminary findings suggest limited awareness among healthcare professionals about MvPI and its reporting protocols. A significant gap exists in their knowledge and practices, underscoring the need for targeted awareness campaigns and training to enhance reporting of MDAEs.