Abstract
Background: Drug interactions, which are generally encountered in medical prescriptions, may lead to severe health issues. Pharmacists in both the public and private pharmacy setting are by profession in a unique position to gain and use their competencies to find and prohibit drug interactions.
 Aim of the Study: To assess knowledge, attitude and practice of pharmacists toward drug interactions in Saudi Arabia.
 Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a self- administered questionnaire.
 Results: Two hundred sixty-three pharmacists participated in the survey and results were expressed in frequencies and percentages. The mean age of participant pharmacists was (31.7) years showing a relatively young participant’s population. Males were (75.3%), while females were (24.7%). Majority of pharmacists (67.3%) were working in public sector. Half of them had a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy as their latest academic degree.
 Participants’ averages of awareness, attitude and practice regarding drug interactions, correct knowledge of drug-drug, drug-food, drug-disease interactions were, (90.7%), (65.3%), (67.7%), (61.7%) respectively. Most (79.8%) of the participants asserted that the notified doctors usually agree with pharmacists’ opinion and decision. This percentage indicates a good cooperation when compared to other studies.
 Conclusion: Pharmacists’ knowledge about drug interactions was inadequate. Lack of knowledge of drug interactions may lead to improper patient counseling and the appearance of adverse effects. There is a need to improve the knowledge and to uplift the level of awareness of pharmacists about the potential drug interactions that are clinically related.
Highlights
Two hundred sixty-three pharmacists participated in the survey and results were expressed in frequencies and percentages
Drug-drug interactions (DDI) can be specified as the clinical or pharmacological response of a drug combination that is dissimilar from that expected from the known effects of the two drugs when given alone and that may lead to a decrease in efficacy or increase in toxicity
Results showed that around (85.9%) of them had come across druginteractions during their practice, which confirms the potential high incidence of drug interactions in the patient’s prescriptions which is comparable to other studies [11,12]
Summary
Drug-drug interactions (DDI) can be specified as the clinical or pharmacological response of a drug combination that is dissimilar from that expected from the known effects of the two drugs when given alone and that may lead to a decrease in efficacy or increase in toxicity. The pharmacodynamics interaction may be antagonistic, additive, or synergistic effects of a drug. Food may have negative or positive effects on the bioavailability of the drug and may lead to drug toxicity or therapeutic failure. Food–drug interactions (FDIs) are a serious issue in the medical practice; they may negatively affect the drug’s efficacy, extend the patient’s hospitalization or threaten their life [3]. Drug interactions, which are generally encountered in medical prescriptions, may lead to severe health issues. Pharmacists in both the public and private pharmacy setting are by profession in a unique position to gain and use their competencies to find and prohibit drug interactions.
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