OBJECTIVE: To document the types of language-assistance services available in pharmacies and the perceptions of pharmacists regarding the effectiveness of these services, and to measure the attitudes toward counseling Spanish-speaking patients and cultural sensitivity of pharmacists. DESIGN: Cross-sectional assessment. SETTING: Metropolitan Atlanta, Ga. PARTICIPANTS: Registered Georgia pharmacists residing in metropolitan Atlanta. INTERVENTIONS: Mailed survey, with repeat mailing 2 weeks later. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: 38 survey items measuring demographic and practice-site characteristics, types of language-assistance services available with an assessment of the effectiveness of each measured on a nominal scale, and attitudinal items concerning counseling of Spanish-speaking patients and pharmacists' cultural sensitivity using a 5-point Likert-type response scale. RESULTS: Of 1,975 questionnaires mailed, 608 were returned, a 30.8% response rate. Nearly two thirds of the pharmacists had recently counseled a Spanish-speaking patient, but only one fourth of those respondents considered their interactions effective. Nearly all pharmacists, 88.0%, worked in pharmacies with language-assistance services. Of seven types of these services, a mean of 2.19 were available in pharmacies, and the majority of pharmacists (84.4% or more) identifying a service considered it to be effective. The pharmacists were neutral about counseling Spanish-speaking patients (mean = 2.94) and indifferent toward other cultures (mean = 3.28); however, they agreed they had a responsibility to counsel Spanish-speaking patients, and they believed that use of language-assistance services would constitute a reasonable effort to counsel these patients. CONCLUSION: Pharmacists have an opportunity to address barriers to communication with the Spanish-speaking population through use of language-assistance services and educational measures within the profession.
OBJECTIVE: To document the types of language-assistance services available in pharmacies and the perceptions of pharmacists regarding the effectiveness of these services, and to measure the attitudes toward counseling Spanish-speaking patients and cultural sensitivity of pharmacists. DESIGN: Cross-sectional assessment. SETTING: Metropolitan Atlanta, Ga. PARTICIPANTS: Registered Georgia pharmacists residing in metropolitan Atlanta. INTERVENTIONS: Mailed survey, with repeat mailing 2 weeks later. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: 38 survey items measuring demographic and practice-site characteristics, types of language-assistance services available with an assessment of the effectiveness of each measured on a nominal scale, and attitudinal items concerning counseling of Spanish-speaking patients and pharmacists' cultural sensitivity using a 5-point Likert-type response scale. RESULTS: Of 1,975 questionnaires mailed, 608 were returned, a 30.8% response rate. Nearly two thirds of the pharmacists had recently counseled a Spanish-speaking patient, but only one fourth of those respondents considered their interactions effective. Nearly all pharmacists, 88.0%, worked in pharmacies with language-assistance services. Of seven types of these services, a mean of 2.19 were available in pharmacies, and the majority of pharmacists (84.4% or more) identifying a service considered it to be effective. The pharmacists were neutral about counseling Spanish-speaking patients (mean = 2.94) and indifferent toward other cultures (mean = 3.28); however, they agreed they had a responsibility to counsel Spanish-speaking patients, and they believed that use of language-assistance services would constitute a reasonable effort to counsel these patients. CONCLUSION: Pharmacists have an opportunity to address barriers to communication with the Spanish-speaking population through use of language-assistance services and educational measures within the profession.
Authors: Stacy Cooper Bailey; Urmimala Sarkar; Alice Hm Chen; Dean Schillinger; Michael S Wolf Journal: J Gen Intern Med Date: 2012-03-27 Impact factor: 5.128
Authors: Anna Robinson; Laura Sile; Thorrun Govind; Harpreet Kaur Guraya; Nicola O'Brien; Vicki Harris; Guy Pilkington; Adam Todd; Andy Husband Journal: Health Expect Date: 2022-04-05 Impact factor: 3.318