Technical Assistance for the Development of Pre-service and In-service Pharmacovigilance Curriculum at the Hanoi University of Pharmacy in Vietnam

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), adverse drug reactions (ADR) are a common, yet often preventable, cause of illness, disability, and death. In some countries, ADR ranks among the top 10 leading causes of mortality. The scope of pharmacovigilance has broadened from its traditional approach of focusing mainly on adverse drug reactions to one that includes additional critical issues such as medication errors, product quality, and treatment failure. The Ministry of Health (MOH) and other key stakeholders in Vietnam are strengthening the PV system in their country. A major step was taken when the National Drug Information and Adverse Drug Reaction (DI & ADR) Center was established at the Hanoi University of Pharmacy (HUP) in 2009. Management Sciences for Health's Strengthening Pharmaceutical Systems (SPS) Program and its predecessor, Rational Pharmaceutical Management Plus (RPM Plus) Program, collaborated with the national stakeholders in Vietnam to support this process, particularly focusing on activities that strengthen broader pharmacovigilance systems. The SPS Program provided technical support in 2010 and 2011 to the MOH's DI & ADR Center, and Vietnam Administration of AIDS Control (VAAC) in carrying out various activities, including including a pharmacovigilance component in the Global Fund Round 10 application, training DI & ADR Center staff on drug information and pharmacovigilance, and conducting a 'Training and Workshop on Strengthening the Network for Safety of Medicines and Pharmacovigilance' in Vietnam. The Hanoi University of Pharmacy (HUP) authorities in Vietnam expressed a strong interest in ensuring adequate coverage of PV topics at both pre- and in-service levels. Based on this request, the SPS Program worked with the National Drug Information and Adverse Drug Reaction Monitoring Center (DI & ADR Center) to develop a detailed curriculum for in-service training, and with HUP's Clinical Pharmacy Department to develop a similarly detailed curriculum for pre-service training at post-graduate pharmacy level. Both these draft curricula were reviewed by a wide group of stakeholders during a curriculum review meeting held at HUP in August 2011. The meeting aimed to ensure that the curricula were comprehensive, relevant, and aligned with the needs of the healthcare professionals in Vietnam. The curricula were designed to equip healthcare professionals with the necessary knowledge, skills, and attitudes to detect, assess, understand, and prevent medicines-related problems. The pharmacovigilance curriculum for training of post-graduate pharmacy students at HUP includes topics such as the principles of pharmacovigilance, adverse drug reactions, medication errors, product quality, and treatment failure. The curriculum also covers the role of pharmacovigilance in public health programs, the importance of pharmacovigilance in resource-constrained countries, and the need for a systematic, coordinated, and organized approach to pharmacovigilance. The SPS Program's technical assistance in developing the pharmacovigilance curriculum for HUP has contributed to the strengthening of the PV system in Vietnam. The curriculum will equip healthcare professionals with the necessary knowledge, skills, and attitudes to detect, assess, understand, and prevent medicines-related problems, ultimately improving patient safety and outcomes.