Immediate and longitudinal effects of incorporating health literacy and cultural competency into a yearlong pharmacy curriculum

ObjectiveTo determine the immediate and longitudinal effects of incorporating health literacy and cultural competency (HL-CC) concepts into one semester of pharmacy school.MethodsHL-CC concepts were incorporated into three fall semester courses for first-year professional pharmacy students. Students completed a 23-item Likert-type health literacy instrument (perceptions, understanding, and application) and the Inventory for Assessing the Process of Cultural Competence among Healthcare Professionals—Student Version (IAPCC-SV©, Campinha-Bacote, 2007) pre–post fall semester (n = 53, 100% response rate) and post-spring semester (no concept incorporation, n = 52, 98% response rate). Data were analyzed using Wilcoxon signed rank tests to examine the differences between pre- and post-semesters for the health literacy assessments and the IAPCC-SV© assessments.ResultsStudents’ perceptions, understanding, and application of health literacy principles had significant improvements in the fall semester, but some attrition was seen after the spring semester. Students’ cultural competency levels increased during the fall, and their overall IAPCC-SV© scores did not significantly change during the spring.ConclusionsIntegrating HL-CC concepts throughout one semester can be useful for improving pharmacy students’ knowledge and skills in these areas. Concepts should be reinforced throughout the curricula to maintain their knowledge and skills.