FOOD-DRUG INTERACTIONS

A critical appraisal on the article “Factors Associated with Potential Food-Drug Interaction
in Hospitalized Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study in Northeast Iran” by Mostafa Abdollahi,
Saeid Eslami, Zhila Taherzadeh, Shayesteh Salehi, Marzieh Ebrahimi, 2018.

Patricia Isabel K. Ramos

HNF 222 ST | March 16, 2019

 The journal article to be reacted is titled “Factors Associated with Potential Food-
Drug Interaction in Hospitalized Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study in Northeast Iran” by
Mostafa Abdollahi, Saeid Eslami, Zhila Taherzadeh, Shayesteh Salehi, Marzieh Ebrahimi.
It is published in a peer-reviewed journal which is Evidence Based Care Journal, Volume
8 Issue 1, pages 27-34. It was published very recently in in 2018, the data used, however
was still from 2013.

The article has a suitable and concise title as it gives the idea and main point of
what the article is all about. There is a structured abstract in the article with distinct labeled
sections specifically, Background, Aim, Method, Results and Implications for practice
which gives rapid comprehension to readers and was able to represent the whole article.
The abstract also conforms to the formal structure of having count of around 250 words.
The introduction was also directing in stating the purpose of the study.

The aim of the study was to find the main factors that may place the hospitalized
patients at risk of potential food-drug interactions. The research problem that the authors
wanted to address is very relevant in the clinical field since most studies focus on drug-
drug interaction and there are limited studies on food-drug interactions which can
influence effectiveness of drug as well as absorption of nutrients, thus, the article has
substantive contribution in health and nutrition knowledge.

The study design, which was indicated in the title, is a cross-sectional study. The
design was appropriate for the objectives of the study since it allowed the researchers to
look at numerous characteristics at once. Based on the nature of cross-sectional designs,
however, it does not permit drawing causal relationships. Study samples were very clearly
defined, and a representative sample was achieved since the response rate is 100%
without missing data. High response rates were obtained possibly due to the low
respondent burden. Sample size estimates were also performed with well-defined margin
of error and confidence intervals. Some potential confounding factors were also
considered excluding nutritional supplements and vitamins which may have a drastic
effect on food-drug interaction.

The methods section of the article provided procedures which can enable readers
to duplicate them. The statistical tests performed were also well-defined with the rationale
for using their approach. The authors also obtained ethical approval.
 The bottom-line results were adequately described. Tables presented were easy
to understand and the tables matched the textual descriptions the authors have provided.
There were no conflicts of interest.

Correlations between all variables were mentioned. The authors concluded that
number of medications was associated with higher risk of potential food-drug interactions.
The results were very reliable since the results were still statistically significant after
adjusting for the confounding variables.

The stated implication for practice of the authors were justified by the data they
gave gathered. The authors suggested to lower the frequency of potential interactions
among the inpatients by decreasing the number of medicines prescribed or make a careful
selection of therapeutic alternatives to consider patient’s knowledge of food-drug
interaction to avoid impairment in the treatment process.

The results of the study can be applied to the Philippine population since there also
many in-patients in hospitals in the local setting and these may patients may also have
several medications which can cause food-drug interactions which is not given much very
much focus in the clinical situations. This study promotes not only patient knowledge but
also the role of healthcare workers in managing food-drug interactions for better patient
care and well-being.

Literature cited

Abdollahi, M., Eslami, S., Taherzadeh, Z., Salehi, S., & Ebrahimi, M. (2018). Factors
associated with potential food-Drug interaction in hospitalized patients: A cross-
sectional study in northeast Iran. Evidence Based Care Journal, 8(1), 27–34.
https://doi.org/10.22038/EBCJ.2018.24726.1544