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Pharmacists' Assessment of Facets of Health Literacy in Pharmacy Practice Settings

Background: There is limited research on the scope of health literacy practices employed by front-line providers such as pharmacies. Given the challenge of health literacy aspects in today's society, an analysis of health literacy practices provided in pharmacy settings is warranted. Objective: To investigate how pharmacists assess their primary practice setting for attributes related to health literacy. Methods: An invitation to complete an online survey was sent to a random sample of 1,000 pharmacists practicing in ambulatory-based practice settings in Maryland. A follow-up reminder postcard was sent a month after the initial invitation. The online survey was available for 3 months. The survey instrument was based on the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Pharmacy Health Literacy Assessment Tool. The health literacy areas explored in this study include print materials, verbal communication techniques, and sensitivity to health literacy-related issues. Results: Of the 1000 pharmacists sent the survey, 160 responded to the survey invitation; 113 were able to complete the entire survey. Most (56%) of the respondents were older than 40 years and 68% worked in community pharmacy settings. Pharmacists who completed formal health literacy training and those in community pharmacy practice appeared to provide greater access to easy-to-read printed materials in their health-care settings and were willing to provide competent verbal consultation about medications. Such services are specifically amenable to patients with limited health literacy. This study is limited by the low response rate and by not being generalizable to ambulatory pharmacy settings throughout the US. Conclusions: This study provides insight into the potential for health literacy issues to impact care provided in ambulatory pharmacy practice settings. Pharmacists need additional training regarding health literacy, such as methods to improve communication with patients who have limited health literacy.