Impact of sensitisation programme on awareness among school teachers
engaged in National Deworming Day regarding Adverse Drug Reaction
reporting
Abstract
Background: The study examines critical role of school teachers
in executing National Deworming Day (NDD) and their awareness of adverse
drug reaction (ADR) reporting. The study aims to evaluate teachers’
knowledge and attitudes on ADR reporting to improve pharmacovigilance
during NDD, ensuring children’s safety during preventative chemotherapy
with Albendazole. Method: After prior approval from
Institutional Ethics Committee, a total of 164 participants were
selected from 20 cluster heads overseeing 94 schools. The study utilized
a validated questionnaire, scored on a binary system (0-10). Employing a
prospective quasi-experimental one group pre-test and post- test
research design, the primary aim was to evaluate the impact of the
awareness program, with secondary objectives focused on demographic
correlations with program effectiveness. Results: The study
shows a significant improvement in participants’ scores from the
pre-test (mean score of 5.60) to the post-test (mean score of 8.28),
resulting in a mean deviation of -2.681 (t = -19.7, p < .001),
suggesting that the intervention significantly enhanced outcomes.
Additionally, the results indicate that the mean post-test score was
slightly higher among urban participants compared to rural participants,
with mean scores of 8.45 and 8.10, respectively. Conclusion:
The sensitisation programme significantly improved awareness among
school teachers engaged in NDD regarding ADR reporting, as evidenced by
the substantial increase in post-test scores compared to pre-test
scores. However, further studies with larger sample size are needed to
corroborate these findings.