Drug-food interaction information: a file card for patient education

In order to minimize hazards and maximize effectiveness of a medication, patients need to be informed of potential drug-food interactions. Patient education of drug-food interactions is often a perplexing task for health professionals. At Pocatello Regional Medical Center, representatives from the pharmacy and dietary services have developed a method using a 3 X 5 file card to aid in this teaching process. A review of responsibilities and procedures is described. Examples for warfarin and tetracycline are illustrated.