Impact of Educational Interventions to Prevent Drug Interactions between Oral Fluoroquinolone or Tetracycline Antibiotics with Polyvalent-Cation Supplements

Abstract

Purpose Fluoroquinolone and tetracycline antibiotics are routinely used for the treatment of a variety of bacterial infections. A disadvantage with their oral administration is the potential for a drug interaction leading to decreased absorption when coadministered with oral supplements containing polyvalent cations. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of several inservices aimed at educating nursing staff on reducing this drug interaction. Methods To assess the impact of the educational interventions, a retrospective chart review was conducted in two phases to determine the incidence of the drug interaction. Phase 1 was conducted before implementation of the educational inservices. Following the educational inservices, phase 2 was conducted to determine their impact on reducing coadministration. Results This interaction occurs frequently in hospitals; we found that these antibiotics were given within 2 hours of polyvalent-cation containing supplements in 72.5% of patients before inservices. An inservice involving multiple approaches significantly reduced the frequency of the drug interaction to 10%; P < 0.001. Conclusion Educational inservices directed toward nursing staff were successful in significantly reducing the incidence of this drug interaction.