Conhecimento e conscientização de farmacêuticos comunitários do estado do Piauí sobre interações alimento-medicamento

The objective of this study was to evaluate the knowledge and awareness of community pharmacists in the state of Piaui about food-drug interactions (IAM). The cross-sectional study involved a sample of 145 community pharmacists from the city of Teresina, PI. Data collection was performed by applying an anonymous self-administered form containing questions related to the topic. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statics, using the P value (<0.05) as the significance reference between the data. Most respondents (98.6%) stated that they had prior knowledge about IAM, as well as believed in the importance of having knowledge and providing guidance to the patient. In addition, the vast majority (85.5%) claimed to provide patient care. Pharmacists scored a general knowledge score of 8.5 out of 16, corresponding to 55.9%. The highest scores of knowledge were for alcohol-drug interactions (93.0%), followed by the common interactions between food and drug (57.5%) and the time of drug ingestion with food (38.2%), reflecting at a low level of general knowledge about IAM. These findings support the need for training and educational courses for pharmacists on drug interactions, especially those associated with food and drugs.