Knowledge, perceptions, and practice of ecopharmacovigilance among pharmacy professionals in China

Ecopharmacovigilance (EPV) is now a well-accepted critical component for the control of potential environmental risk posed by pharmaceutical residues. And improving the knowledge and perceptions about EPV, especially among pharmacy professionals, is the first step towards addressing the environmental impact of pharmaceuticals. This cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the knowledge, perceptions, and practice on EPV using a validated self-administered questionnaire delivered to a sample of 120 pharmacy professionals in Hubei Province, China. And 107 usable survey instruments were acquired. The mean score for knowledge about EPV was 3.85 out of a total of 10. The pharmacy professionals' overall perceptions of EPV and pharmaceutical pollution in environment were positive. But of the 107 respondents, 45 (42%) stated that they had not participated in any EPV measure. In addition, none had received training on EPV, and only 25 (23%) respondents had read the literature on EPV. In response to the question about the major perceived barrier to the effective implementation of EPV in China, 45 (42%) respondents chose the answer "poor awareness of EPV." These data suggests most pharmacy professionals in China had a positive attitude but lack of knowledge and practices towards EPV. Therefore, more should be done to enhance pharmacy professionals' knowledge on EPV.