Intestinal microbiota, probiotics and their interactions with drugs: knowledge, attitudes and practices of health science students in Serbia.

Abstract

Background: Acquiring sufficient knowledge and understanding the importance of intestinal microbiota and probiotics in health and disease, as well as their potential for interactions with concurrently administered drugs, can significantly influence future pharmacotherapeutic practices among health science students.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the knowledge, factors influencing knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding intestinal microbiota and probiotics and their interactions with drugs among students of the Faculty of Medicine in Novi Sad.

Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the form of an anonymous questionnaire among first- and final-year medical and pharmacy students. Predictors of knowledge scores were analyzed using a negative binomial regression model.

Results: The questionnaire was completed by 263 medical and pharmacy students (44.58% first-year and 55.5% final-year students). Approximately half of the students (53.2%) demonstrated fair knowledge, 34.2% had poor knowledge, and only 12.5% had good knowledge about the intestinal microbiota and probiotics. Study year and self-assessment of knowledge were statistically significant predictors of knowledge scores, while the presence of chronic diseases, previous education, and lifestyle were not. The most common indications for probiotic use among respondents were antibiotic use (75.4%) and gastrointestinal symptoms (69.9%). A large number of respondents reported not paying attention to the concurrent use of probiotics with drugs or food, nor to the choice of specific probiotic strains. Most students expressed that they receive insufficient information on this topic at the university.

Conclusion: Most students demonstrate inadequate knowledge about the gut microbiota and probiotics, which affects their practical use of these supplements. The primary reasons for this are insufficient information and unreliable sources of information. Therefore, enhancing education on this topic could significantly improve the knowledge and pharmacotherapeutic practices of future healthcare professionals.