Using health literacy techniques to support pharmacist practice when counselling on antibiotics courses

Abstract

Introduction Increased education may improve awareness of antimicrobial resistance (AMR)1 however 43% of people aged 16-65 in England lack skills to understand health information2. This study aimed to improve patient knowledge on short course antibiotics using a patient information leaflet (PIL) incorporating Health Literacy (HL) techniques supporting the governments’ 5 year 2019 AMR strategy. Method This study received ethics approval. A revised Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) checklist for Community Pharmacy PIL incorporating HL techniques was piloted then used for 5-weeks as a counselling tool by 8 consenting community pharmacists. It was handed to patients during the dispensing of short-course antibiotics after which the pharmacists filled out a questionnaire. Results 106 patients were counselled and all 8 pharmacists completed questionnaires on how the PIL supported their practice. On a scale of 1 (not at all) to 5 (improved a lot), pharmacists scored how much they thought the PIL could improve patient’s knowledge on appropriate antibiotic use. 63% of pharmacists (5/8) scored the PIL ‘5’ or ‘4’. 63% of pharmacists (5/8) did not feel that the PIL took longer than their standard counselling. 66% (2/3) felt that the extra time was worthwhile. Conclusion Pharmacists believed written information using HL techniques led to improved AMR education at the point of antibiotic dispensing.