Promoting Curricular Inclusion of Pharmacovigilance Awareness Among Medical Students Through A Research Skill Training Module

Aim/Objective: To describe the use of research skills training to support pharmacovigilance awareness among medical students. Methods: Between the years 2019 and 2023, medical students of the Faculty of Medical Sciences, at The University of the West Indies were invited to participate in a module from May to June to introduce pharmacovigilance and its importance to clinical practice. Each student was guided through a research project focused on objectives specific to the World Health Organization definition of pharmacovigilance, using published patient case reports of adverse drug reactions. Students completed a poster and a three-minute pre-recoded video of the poster. The module ended with presentation of the posters at a mini-symposium open to the public. A Facebook (FB) page was created in June 2020 for optional sharing of poster to facilitate social median interaction through likes (L), comments(C) and shares(S). Students were also encouraged to consider sharing their work through other scholarly modalities. Data analysis involved collecting comments from students on their experience with the module; FB engagement rate as of March 17, 2024 (L?2C?3S)/(sum of the engagement weight x number of followers of FB page)[3] was calculated for each poster uploaded and values C 0.01 considered as good FB engagement rate [4]. Results: Participant numbers increased from 10 in 2019 to 28 students in 2023; Comments from students suggest the objectives of the module were achieved and participants were overall satisfied with the experience. Of the 74 posters uploaded on FB, the engagement rates ranged from 0.002 to 0.042; 17 (23%) of the posters showed good engagement rates and the top three popular posters were tocilizumab/ demyelination (0.042) escitalopram/alopecia(0.028)and furosemide/ drug rash with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms syndrome (0.023). Publications from the module include two full papers, one letter to editor and two conference abstracts. Conclusion: This innovative learning methodology provided an engaging model to promote pharmacovigilance awareness among medical students. The opportunity to conduct research and share by multiple formats were additional benefits to students.