Evaluation of Knowledge of Food–Drug and Alcohol–Drug Interactions Among Undergraduate Students at King Saud University – An Observational Study

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The role of pharmacists in society is unique since they are providers of drug information and medication counseling to patients. Hence, the present study was designed to investigate the knowledge, of undergraduate pharmacy students regarding food drug (FDIs) and alcohol–drug interactions (ADIs) at King Saud University, Riyadh Saudi Arabia. METHODOLOGY: An online cross-sectional study was conducted among undergraduate pharmacy students at King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from October 2021 to January 2022, using self-administered 24-items questionnaires focused on evaluating the knowledge of FDIs and ADIs. RESULTS: Of the 200 questionnaires distributed, 142 students responded, of whom 40.8% (n = 58) of the students did not agree with the statement that patients can eat more green leafy vegetables with warfarin. Just over half 52.8% (n = 75) agreed that milk affects the efficacy of tetracycline. Regarding the students’ knowledge about amiodarone interactions with grapefruit 43% (n = 61) of them were knowledgeable, while 43.7% (n = 62), knew that atorvastatin cannot be taken with grapefruit. A total of 44.4% (n = 63) of the students reported being knowledgeable about FDIs. In terms of the individual questions, Alcohol interactions with antihistamines and paracetamol received the highest percentages of 52.8% (n = 75) and 50.7% (n = 72), respectively, followed by warfarin and methotrexate (45.1%; 41.5%). In this study, 39.4% (n = 56) of the participants were found knowledgeable about ADIs. The overall knowledge of interactions among the students was 47.9% (n = 68). The total knowledgeable levels were significantly associated with educational levels and having previous information about interaction (p = 0.0001). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, undergraduate pharmacy students exhibited poor knowledge of FDIs and ADIs. As a result, more focus and effort should be given to raising awareness of potential FDIs and ADIs. Our study highlights the need for improving pharmacy students’ knowledge about FDIs and ADIs.