Abstract
BackgroundFoods and the nutrients they contain can interact with drugs and thereby interfere with their therapeutic safety and efficacy. Adequate knowledge of healthcare professionals (HCPs) about drug-food interactions can help in preventing potential drug-food interactions among patients. This study aimed to assess the knowledge of HCPs about common drug-food interactions.MethodsA cross-sectional study was carried out among 459 HCPs from three public hospitals in eThekwini district, KwaZulu-Natal between November 2018, and January 2019. Informed consent was obtained from the HCPs, and a structured questionnaire was thereafter administered. Data were analysed using SPSS® version 25. Factors associated with knowledge of the HCPs were determined using logistic regression analysis.ResultsOf the 459 participants, 22.2% (n = 102) were doctors, 11.3% (n = 52) pharmacists, 63.8% (n = 293) nurses and 2.6% (n = 12) dietitians. Most of the HCPs were females 79.7% (n = 366), the mean age of the HCPs was 38.61±0.48. The knowledge score of the HCPs was 22.66±0.25 out of an overall score of 46. The HCPs poorly identified food types that interact with drugs and correct administration time of drugs relative to meals. Being a pharmacist (OR: 14.212, CI: 4.941–40.879, p<0.001), doctor (OR: 5.223, CI: 2.146–12.711, p<0.001), or a dietitian (OR: 5.476, CI: 1.103–27.191, p = 0.038) was associated with higher knowledge of drug-food interactions.ConclusionThe HCPs in this survey had low drug-food interaction knowledge. These findings suggest the need for additional training and educational courses for the HCPs on drug-food interactions.
Highlights
Drugs and food both play a role in disease prevention and treatment
The healthcare professionals (HCPs) poorly identified food types that interact with drugs and correct administration time of drugs relative to meals
The HCPs in this survey had low drug-food interaction knowledge. These findings suggest the need for additional training and educational courses for the HCPs on drug-food interactions
Summary
Drugs and food both play a role in disease prevention and treatment. The combination of medicines and food can lead to undesirable interactions that can impact on therapeutic safety and efficacy [2]. Drug-food interaction is the result of a physical, chemical, or physiological relationship between a drug and food or nutrient [3]. Drug-food interactions may affect the pharmacokinetics (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion) or pharmacodynamic properties of a drug and can cause decreased or increased bioavailability of the drug resulting in treatment failure or adverse events [4,5]. Foods and the nutrients they contain can interact with drugs and thereby interfere with their therapeutic safety and efficacy. Adequate knowledge of healthcare professionals (HCPs) about drug-food interactions can help in preventing potential drug-food interactions among patients. This study aimed to assess the knowledge of HCPs about common drug-food interactions
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