A pharmacy may have barriers that make it hard for people with limited literacy skills to use its services successfully. These barriers can be grouped in three areas:
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1. Our pharmacy uses printed materials to advise patients about our services in different parts of
the hospital or clinic, such as in the medical and surgical clinics, walk-in or urgent care centers, and inpatient wards. |
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2. The following print materials are written in simple and clear language, avoiding the use of technical jargon and medical terms: | | | | |
a. Prescription bottle labels. | | | | |
b. Prescription warning labels. | | | | |
3. The following print materials are designed with lots of white space to provide relief from the print: | | | | |
a. Prescription bottle labels. | | | | |
b. Prescription warning labels. | | | | |
4. We use graphics and illustrations in the following print materials: | | | | |
a. Prescription bottle labels. | | | | |
b. Prescription warning labels. | | | | |
5. If appropriate, these print materials are available in languages other than English: | | | | |
a. Prescription bottle labels. | | | | |
b. Prescription warning labels. | | | | |
c. Prescription information inserts. | | | | |
d. Patient education brochures. | | | | |
e. Informational posters. | | | | |
6. We use a print size of 12-point or higher in these print materials: | | | | |
a. Prescription bottle labels. | | | | |
b. Prescription warning labels. | | | | |
7. Overall, these print materials are easy for adults with limited literacy skills to understand: | | | | |
a. Prescription bottle labels. | | | | |
b. Prescription warning labels. | | | | |
c. Prescription information inserts. | | | | |
d. Patient education brochures. | | | | |
e. Informational posters. | | | | |
8. We regularly review our printed materials to check how easy they are to read. | | | | |
9. We modify materials that are too difficult to understand and make them easier for patients
to read and understand. | | | | |
10. We consult with hospital/clinic staff outside of the pharmacy (e.g., Patient Education Committee) for feedback on the written materials we prepare for our patients. | | | | |
11. a. The clinic/hospital/pharmacy chain that we are affiliated with has guidelines for limiting the level of reading difficulty of our printed materials. | | | | |
b. Our pharmacy follows these guidelines. | | | | |
c. Our pharmacy has guidelines for limiting the level of reading difficulty of our printed materials. | | | | |
d. Our pharmacy follows our own guidelines. | | | | |
12. Our staff has received training in how to identify, prepare, and simplify materials so that they are written in plain language. | | | | |
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13. We distribute educational materials that patients can use to help them understand and remember
the information we give them. | | | | |
14. We have identified the jargon that is specific to our pharmacy or services we provide and have
developed an easy way to explain these words to our patients. | | | | |
15. When we work with patients, we continually check that they have understood the information we give them by asking them to repeat back key points (i.e., "teach-back"). | | | | |
16. We have been trained to recognize non-verbal cues that may indicate a person is not understanding what is being said. | | | | |
17. We offer and provide interpreters to patients for whom English is a second language. |
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18. Our pharmacy's leadership promotes commitment to health literacy and clear patient communication. | | | | |
19. We have a space that provides some privacy if patients need to discuss confidential information. | | | | |
20. If a patient asks to speak with the pharmacist, we offer counseling on the following topics: | | | | |
a. The name of the medicine. | | | | |
b. The purpose of the medicine (blood pressure, cholesterol, etc.). | | | | |
c. The dosage form, dosage, route of administration, and duration of drug therapy. | | | | |
d. Special directions and precautions for preparation, administration, and use by the patient. | | | | |
e. Common severe side or adverse effects, interactions and contraindications that can happen, including how to avoid them and what the patient should do if they happen. | | | | |
f. Techniques for self-monitoring drug therapy. | | | | |
g. Proper storage. | | | | |
h. Prescription refill information. | | | | |
i. Action to be taken in the event of a missed dose. | | | | |
21. I have received training on the following clear verbal communication techniques: | | | | |
a. How to effectively organize the information given to patients. | | | | |
b. How to communicate using simple language. | | | | |
c. How to check for understanding. | | | | |
22. I am confident that I can effectively educate patients about medicines and diseases when: | | | | |
a. Time is limited. | | | | |
b. The patient has many medications. | | | | |
c. The patient has many new prescriptions. | | | | |
d. There are many changes in dosage. | | | | |
e. The patient has limited literacy skills. | | | | |
f. The patient is in a rush. | | | | |
g. The patient asks a lot of questions. | | | | |
h. The patient is angry at the pharmacy staff. | | | | |
i. The patient is new to the pharmacy. | | | | |
j. The patient does not understand how to pay for their medication. | | | | |
k. The patient can't afford their medication. | | | | |
l. The patient is non-compliant. | | | | |
m. The patient does not speak English proficiently. | | | | |
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23. Staff or volunteers are available to help patients fill out our forms. | | | | |
24. We have identified what a patient must know (e.g., about health or medicine) and the literacy skills a patient must have to make use of our services. | | | | |
25. We regularly ask our patients for verbal or written feedback about the quality and effectiveness of our services. | | | | |
26. Our pharmacy's policies specifically support activities and resources that help make our
pharmacy accessible to people with limited literacy. | | | | |
27. We are confident that we promote our pharmacy in ways that allow adults with limited literacy skills to learn about our programs and services. | | | | |
28. All staff members who have direct contact with patients are aware of certain behaviors that may indicate literacy problems. | | | | |
29. Our staff, including leadership, has received awareness and sensitivity training about literacy and literacy issues.. | | | | |
30. Our staff knows about the adult literacy resources in our community. If asked, they could tell a client where to get help to improve his or her literacy skills. | | | | |