Pharmacy language assistance resources and their association with pharmacists' self-efficacy in communicating with Spanish-speaking patients

BackgroundSpanish-speaking patients experience significant disparities in care and poorer health outcomes in comparison to English-speaking patients, often due to language barriers. Providers should be equipped with resources to effectively communicate with Spanish-speaking patients to provide the best possible care.PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the resources available to support pharmacists' communication with Spanish-speaking patients.MethodsA cross-sectional study design was used to examine language-assistance resources in community pharmacies throughout the state of Illinois. A telephone survey contained items to examine the accessibility, frequency of use, ease of use, and helpfulness of language-assistance resources; items were rated on a 5-point Likert-type scale (1 = Never to 5 = Always). The survey also included nine items to assess pharmacists' self-efficacy in communicating with Spanish-speaking patients. Purposeful sampling was utilized to increase the likelihood of obtaining information from pharmacies serving Hispanic populations. The sample was categorized into high and low Spanish-speaking populations based on pharmacists' self-reported data. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to examine relationships between language-assistance resources and pharmacist self-efficacy.ResultsA total of 231 community pharmacists participated in the survey. The most accessible language-assistance resources were computer-based (92%) and telephone help lines (80%). Among various computer-based resources, Spanish labels (M = 2.12, SD = 1.58) and leaflets (M = 2.04, SD = 1.49) were the most frequently used. Computer generated Spanish leaflets and labels, and language-assistance telephone lines were also perceived to be easier to use and more helpful in comparison to paper-based resources and personnel. Respondents also reported that it was easy to use friends and family (M = 3.5, SD = 1.8) and that they were helpful (M = 3.58, SD = 1.26). Access to computer-based resources (β = 0.16, P = 0.02), and to family or friends who speak Spanish (β = 0.24, P < 0.01) were significantly associated with self-efficacy (P < 0.01), after controlling for race and education.ConclusionsDespite having access to computer-based resources and language-assistance telephone lines, pharmacists rarely used these resources to communicate with Spanish-speaking patients. Efforts such as workplace resource training and pharmacy school cultural competency curricula should be implemented to promote as well as support pharmacists' use of language-assistance resources to provide optimal care to Spanish-speaking patients.