AHRQ Pharmacy Health Literacy Center
This site provides pharmacists with recently released health literacy tools and other resources from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
These tools include:
- Six health literacy tools for pharmacy.
- Curricular modules for pharmacy faculty.
- Resources for pharmacists interested in understanding more about health literacy.
- Health literacy tools to improve communication for providers of medication therapy management
What is Pharmacy Health Literacy?
Pharmacy health literacy is the degree to which individuals are able to obtain, process, and understand basic health and medication information and pharmacy services needed to make appropriate health decisions.
- Only 12% of adults have proficient health literacy (e.g., can interpret the prescription label correctly).
- Medication errors are likely higher with patients with limited health literacy, as they are more likely to misinterpret the prescription label information and auxiliary labels.
- Studies document an association between low literacy and poor health outcomes.
Why Is Health Literacy Important to Pharmacy?
- Pharmacists are responsible for making sure patients obtain the maximum positive health outcomes from their medications.
- Pharmacists care for patients with low to high education levels, low to high incomes, and multiple races of people; all of whom may have limited health literacy.
- Medication errors are likely higher with patients with limited health literacy.
- Studies document an association between low literacy and poor health outcomes.
- Pharmacists are one of the most accessible health care providers.
- Addressing literacy is an important quality improvement effort.
AHRQ Health Literacy Tools for Use in Pharmacies
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has developed six health literacy tools for pharmacy:
- Pharmacy Health Literacy Assessment Tool & User's Guide.
- Training Program for Pharmacy Staff on Communication.
- How To Create a My Medicines List.
- Explicit and Standardized Prescription Medicine Instructions.
- How to Conduct a Postdischarge Followup Phone Call
- Health literacy tools to improve communication for providers of medication therapy management
Want to learn more about these tools? Go to: AHRQ Tools
Advancing Pharmacy Health Literacy Practices Through Quality Improvement:
Curricular Modules for Faculty
These curricular modules can help pharmacy faculty integrate health literacy and health literacy quality improvement into courses, experiential education, and projects for PharmD students and pharmacy residents. The curricular modules include 17 activity guides with 4 accompanying PowerPoint® presentations.
