Strategies to improve communication between pharmacy staff and patients : Training program for pharmacy staff - a curriculum guide

(8 January 2008: VIDYYA MEDICAL NEWS SERVICE) -- This training program is designed to introduce pharmacists to the problem of low health literacy in patient populations and to identify the implications of this problem for the delivery of health care services. The program also explains techniques that pharmacy staff members can use to improve communication with patients who may have limited health literacy skills.

Suggested Audience: This program is intended for pharmacy staff members who regularly interact with patients and provide them with health information. This includes both pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. Other pharmacy staff members who interact with patients may also benefit from this training.

Materials Provided: The training materials provided with this program include a PowerPoint slide set for presentation and handouts for use in the final section - hands-on practice of the communication techniques presented in the slides.

Select to download print version (PDF File, 240 KB).

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By Sunil Kripalani, M.D., M.Sc., and Kara L. Jacobson, M.P.H, CHES.

This training curriculum was produced under contract to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) under Contract No. 290-00-0011 TO7. The AHRQ Task Order Officer for this project was Cindy Brach, M.P.P. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation provided funding for this training curriculum. The Robert Wood Johnson foundation Program Officer was Pamela S. Dickson, M.B.A.

The following pharmacists from Grady Health System contributed to the PILL (Pharmacy Intervention for Limited Literacy) study: Douglas E. Miller, Pharm. D.; George Bachman, R.Ph., M.S.; Julie Rubin, Pharm. D., BCPS; and Shelley Nebel, Pharm. D. Both Julie A. Gazmararian, Ph.D., M.P.H., and Karen J. McMorris were members of the PILL study research team.

The findings and conclusions in this document are those of the authors, who are responsible for its contents; the content does not necessarily represent the views of AHRQ, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Therefore, no statement in this report should be construed as an official position of AHRQ, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

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Internet Citation:

Strategies to Improve Communication Between Pharmacy Staff and Patients: Training Program for Pharmacy Staff. Curriculum Guide. AHRQ Publication No. 07(08)-0051-1-EF, October 2007. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/pharmlit/pharmtrain.htm

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