HELPFUL resources are available to help pharmacists assist patients who may have difficulty understanding health-related information, including a free translation and interpretation service and multilingual health information.

According to the Pharmaceutical Defence Limited (PDL), “communication lapses are a recurrent contributing factor to incidents reported to PDL”.

“Part of professional pharmacy practice includes providing ‘equitable, culturally safe, respectful and responsive health care to all people’ and ‘supporting the person to actively participate in and make informed decisions about their health care through shared decision-making’,” PDL reminded pharmacists, quoting from the PSA Professional Practice Standards 2023.

“Pharmacists should seek to provide equitable patient care across all patient groups by supporting people to communicate effectively with pharmacy staff about their medications and healthcare needs.”

When a patient’s English-language skills are limited, PDL recommends making use of free interpreting services, available 24/7 through the Commonwealth Dept of Home Affairs – to register, click HERE.

To be eligible for the services, the pharmacy must have a PBS approval number or the pharmacist must be registered with Ahpra.

It must also be in a community setting and the patient must be eligible for Medicare.

There is also a free library of multilingual health information provided by the Victorian Government HERE.

Other tips – which also apply for people who have low health literacy – include using plain, simple language; providing visual aids; asking the patient to repeat the information back to you; and giving the patient written information to take home. KB

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