Background 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. Methods A 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. Results Of 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. Conclusion 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.
Background Maternal and child mortality remains a major public health issue in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), with the region having the highest under-five mortality rates, where approximately 1 in 11 children, dies before the age of 5 years. This is nearly 15 times the average in high-income countries (HICs). This scoping review is aimed at mapping evidence on the factors contributing to maternal and child mortality in SSA. Methods This study will be conducted using a scoping review to map existing literature on the factors contributing to maternal and child mortality in SSA. The search will comprise of peer-reviewed and grey literature, using the EBSCOhost platform. Keyword search from electronic databases such as PubMed/MEDLINE, Google Scholar, Science Direct and World Health Organization library, will be conducted. Information will be obtained from the included studies, using a data charting table. We will use NVIVO version 10 software to analyse the data, and the narrative account of the study will be presented by means of a thematic content analysis. Discussion We expect to find relevant literature that can help us in mapping evidence on the factors contributing to maternal and child mortality in SSA. This study results are anticipated to identify research gaps and in turn, guide the design of future primary studies. Systematic review protocol registration Open Science Framework registration number (DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/XF5VN).
Objectives Drug–food interactions (DFIs) are a problem in clinical practice as they can alter the bioavailability of drugs and nutrients and may lead to various adverse effects. Healthcare professionals (HCPs) play a significant role in counselling patients and preventing these interactions. Knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAPs) regarding DFIs are, therefore, vital to ensure that they carry out their role efficiently. This review maps evidence on KAPs of HCPs regarding DFIs and highlights gaps for further research. Methods A systematic literature search for the period from 1990 to 2018 was done using Google Scholar, PubMed and ScienceDirect. Keywords such as ‘knowledge, attitudes, practices, healthcare professionals, drug-food interactions’ in combination with the Boolean operator (AND) were used. Articles published only in English that described KAPs of HCPs relating to DFIs were included. Key findings Twelve studies were included in this review. Inadequate knowledge was observed among the HCPs as they were unable to identify important DFIs. The HCPs had a positive attitude towards acquiring knowledge, reporting and counselling patients on DFIs. Most of the medical residents felt that they were inadequately trained on DFIs and over half believed that DFIs were only slightly important in clinical practice. Conclusion Deficits exist in the KAPs of HCPs regarding DFIs. An educational intervention targeting HCPs is recommended. Further research assessing the KAPs of the HCPs is required as the small number of studies conducted was a limitation.
Background: Drug-food interactions can lead to adverse drug reactions and therapy failure which can potentially impact patient safety and therapy outcome. Objectives: This study assessed patients’ knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding drug-food interactions. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among patients at three public hospitals in eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS® version 25. The association between demographic variables and patients’ knowledge, attitudes and practices were assessed. Results: Of the 342 patients, 70.5% were female, and the mean age was 42.87±0.89 years. Almost 50% of patients had secondary level education, and 64% were unemployed. About 52% of patients had high knowledge of drug-food interactions; however, only 30-50% of the patients could identify potential drug-food interactions of their drugs. More than halfof the patients (51.5%) answered that they took multivitamin pills with medications and 61.7% responded they consulted healthcare professionals for drug-food interactions’ information before taking new medications. Few patients (15.2%) had experienced drug-food interactions. Conclusions: Overall, patients had gaps in their knowledge and practices, and positive attitudes towards drug-food interactions. Many patients could not identify food items that can potentially interact with their drugs. It is important that education and medication counselling are provided to patients to prevent drug-food interactions, ensure optimal drug therapy and patient safety. Keywords: Drug-food interactions; patients; knowledge; attitudes; practices.
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