AHRQ agency announces new pharmacy tools
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
The Department of Health and Human Services' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality offers two new tools for pharmacies aimed at better serving people with limited health literacy, AHRQ announces Oct. 30. The tools - "Is Our Pharmacy Meeting Patients' Needs? A Pharmacy Health Literacy Assessment Tool User's Guide" and "Strategies to Improve Communication between Pharmacy Staff and Patients: A Training Program for Pharmacy Staff" - are geared at raising awareness of health literacy limitations and training staff on ways to better assist pharmacy patients, according to a press release. AHRQ cites a study that found people with limited health literacy are more likely to be unable to identify their OTC as well as prescription medications, difficulty understanding instructions and less likely to understand potential side effects than the more health literate 1("The Tan Sheet" Dec. 4, 2006, p. 9). The tools are a result of an Emory University study funded by AHRQ and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation...