Assessment of physicians' knowledge, thoughts, and attitudes regarding the phytovigilance system

In this study, physicians' awareness of phytovigilance and their knowledge of safety processes for herbal products were evaluated for the first time in Türkiye.

A descriptive quantitative study was conducted using face-to-face interview techniques with physicians working in a training and research hospital in Türkiye. A total of 268 (35.2%) questionnaires with appropriate data quality were analyzed with IBM SPSS Statistics 23.0. The factors that had the strongest effect on phytovigilance awareness were determined by binary logistic regression analysis. Values of p < 0.05 were accepted as statistically significant.

The survey results revealed that 45.5% of physicians were aware of the concept of phytovigilance. Physicians who knew that adverse effects were reported due to the use of herbal products, physicians who asked about the use of herbal products while taking their patients' medical history, and specialist physicians had higher awareness of the concept of phytovigilance. Only 30.2% of participants were aware that feedback on adverse reactions from herbal products was being collected and only 27.2% were aware that there was a phytovigilance contact point in the hospital.

The awareness of physicians regarding phytovigilance should be increased. Physicians should ask about the use of herbal products while taking medical history, identify possible adverse effects associated with herbal products, and provide feedback.