{"id":6263,"date":"2019-10-07T15:53:30","date_gmt":"2019-10-07T19:53:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/?p=6263"},"modified":"2026-01-26T11:06:36","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T16:06:36","slug":"pharmacists-health-literacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/pharmacists-health-literacy\/","title":{"rendered":"4 ways pharmacists can improve health literacy"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 id=\"what-is-health-literacy\">What is health literacy?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Health literacy is the patient\u2019s ability to \u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions,\u201d according to the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">U.S. Department of Health and Human Services<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Examples of health literacy include knowing how to fill out forms in the doctor\u2019s office, comprehending laboratory values\u2014like cholesterol or blood sugar numbers, choosing between different health care coverage, or grasping how to properly use prescriptions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It affects how well people can access medical services, care for any dependents, and conceptualize their own health risk. People with low health literacy often also have misinformation about what causes disease and what can prevent it. That can mean poorer health outcomes.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"why-does-health-literacy-matter-for-pharmacists\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why does health literacy matter for pharmacists?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Only 12% of adults have proficient health literacy, according to the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (AHRQ). Meaning, the vast majority of patients may not be able to read and fully understand their prescription labels or follow-up instructions. And that can cause medication errors or other risks, such as <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">increased mortality<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or visits to the emergency room.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pharmacists can prioritize making sure that patients understand what they need to know and do for adherence to their medications,\u201d explains <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/ethics.emory.edu\/people\/Faculty\/Ruth_Parker.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ruth Parker, MD<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, professor of medicine at Emory University. \u201cThis can be especially daunting for patients on multiple medications who are simultaneously navigating demands of chronic illnesses.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How do you do it? Start with these steps.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"how-to-improve-health-literacy\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How to improve health literacy\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Taking steps to improve your patients\u2019 health literacy can increase their investment in their own health, and build trust.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"1-assess-your-patient-s-health-literacy\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1. Assess your patient\u2019s health literacy.<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The first step to improving health literacy is identifying who\u2019s at risk for low health literacy. This can be as simple as asking patients if they understand what certain terms mean. Be aware of phrases or behaviors that might indicate low health literacy, such as referring to pills by their color or shape rather than the medication\u2019s name, or saying they will bring the medications home to talk about them with their kids.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Or, you can use one of the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ahrq.gov\/professionals\/quality-patient-safety\/quality-resources\/tools\/literacy\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tools<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> provided by the AHRQ to measure understanding, such as the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ahrq.gov\/health-literacy\/quality-resources\/tools\/literacy\/index.html#rapid\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ahrq.gov\/health-literacy\/quality-resources\/tools\/literacy\/index.html#short\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Short Assessment of Health Literacy in English or Spanish<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Many people don\u2019t understand medical abbreviations or terms like discontinue, as directed, or dosage. The assessments can help you determine what type of information you need to explain. The AHRQ also offers <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ahrq.gov\/health-literacy\/pharmhealthlit\/tools.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Health Literacy Tools for Use in Pharmacies<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which includes info to increase pharmacy staff\u2019s understanding of health literacy and how to communicate more effectively with patients.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"2-use-ask-me-3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2. Use \u201cAsk Me 3.\u201d<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some patients don\u2019t know what to ask their physicians, feel ashamed of low literacy, or are socialized not to ask questions of authority figures. The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ihi.org\/resources\/tools\/ask-me-3-good-questions-your-good-health\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ask Me 3<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> campaign encourages patients to start a conversation with healthcare providers by asking:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What is my main problem?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What do I need to do?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why is it important for me to do this?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pharmacists can encourage patients to use these guidelines by providing the answers in <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/health-literacy\/php\/develop-materials\/plain-language.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">plain language<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014meaning no technical terms or jargon. Use an active voice that is clear and direct when communicating, and break complex information into chunks. Encourage patients to \u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">teach back<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d what they\u2019ve learned so they don\u2019t walk out of the pharmacy and immediately forget what you explained. For instance, one way to initiate a teach back after counseling on a medication is to say, \u201cJust to be sure we covered everything, would you please tell me how you\u2019re going to use your medication?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"3-explain-the-details-of-prescription-labels\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3. Explain the details of prescription labels.<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If patients don\u2019t know what a medication is for or can\u2019t find the instructions on the label, they\u2019re not likely to take it. Most people can\u2019t easily spot the dosage and timing on a prescription label, and patients with low health literacy are likely to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC3955868\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">overlook the warning stickers<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on the side. So during a consultation, point out the info on the medication label or consumer information leaflet while you\u2019re discussing it, so they know where to look if they need a reminder later.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Take the time to go over how the patient should take the pills, and what\u2019s important to remember or avoid\u2014such as heavy machinery or grapefruit juice. \u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Encouraging use of patient-centered medication label standards such as those proposed by the USP and going beyond the \u2018do you have any questions?\u2019 to engage patients in conversation that demonstrates their understanding of what medicines they are taking and how to take them correctly are important steps,\u201d says Dr. Parker.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"4-create-reminders-or-quick-reference-tools\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4. Create reminders or quick reference tools.<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Juggling multiple medications can be challenging for anyone, especially so for someone with low health literacy. Many pharmacies use automated phone, text, or email reminders to notify patients when they\u2019re due for a refill. Check to make sure that the text or audio reminder script your pharmacy is using makes sense for people with limited medical knowledge<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Consider creating a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ahrq.gov\/patients-consumers\/diagnosis-treatment\/treatments\/pillcard\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">pill card<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for patients with many medications taken at different times, or share a template they can use to create one at home. Or, hand out additional literature the patient can read at home, which also use understandable and appropriate language.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The patient has already left the doctor\u2019s office or hospital, and may not have a follow-up visit, by the time they arrive in your pharmacy. Picking up a prescription from you may be the last opportunity patients have to ask a healthcare professional about what to do, and how to do it, before going home. Don\u2019t let the chance slip away unused.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is health literacy? Health literacy is the patient\u2019s ability to \u201cobtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions,\u201d according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Examples of health literacy include knowing how to fill out forms in the doctor\u2019s office, comprehending laboratory values\u2014like cholesterol [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":85,"featured_media":6157,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9340],"tags":[743],"coauthors":[8869],"class_list":["post-6263","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-checkout","tag-pharmacies","wpautop"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.4 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How to improve health literacy in the pharmacy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The majority of patients have low health literacy, which means they may not be able to read or fully understand their prescriptions. 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