An international survey of health literacy education within schools of pharmacy

Background: Health literacy (HL) influences patients’ health status, use of the healthcare system and medication-relatedbehaviours. However, the concept is relatively new to pharmacy and its incorporation in academic curricula has notbeen examined.Aims: To explore HL training in pharmacy schools internationally, and academics’ opinions in regards to how it shouldbe taught and assessed.Methods: An anonymous, online survey was administered to academics who teach within pharmacy degree coursesfrom countries where English is the main language.Results: Responses were received from 21 pharmacy schools in seven countries; 20 stated that HL was taught withintheir pharmacy degree, in four as a stand-alone topic. Small-group tutorials were thought to be the most beneficial formof teaching health literacy, best assessed using oral and objective structured clinical examinations.Conclusion: The majority of pharmacy schools taught health literacy and had similar opinions regarding best practiceteaching and assessment

What Constitutes an Explanation in Biology?

One of biology's fundamental aims is to generate understanding of the living world around—and within—us. In this chapter, I aim to provide a relatively nonpartisan discussion of the nature of explanation in biology, grounded in widely shared philosophical views about scientific explanation. But this discussion also reflects what I think is important for philosophers and biologists alike to appreciate about successful scientific explanations, so some points will be controversial, at least among philosophers. I make three main points: (1) causal relationships and broad patterns have often been granted importance to scientific explanations, and they are in fact both important; (2) some explanations in biology cite the components of or processes in systems that account for the systems’ features, whereas other explanations feature large-scale or structural causes that influence a system; and (3) there can be multiple different explanations of a given biological phenomenon, explanations that respond to different research aims and can thus be compatible with one another even when they may seem to disagree

The challenge with teach-back: learning from the HeLP RCT

The Health Literacy in Pharmacy (HeLP) project was developed as an educational intervention for community pharmacists and pharmacy assistants, •Educational package on health literacy for community pharmacists and pharmacy assistants. Design features: •Tailored to the needs of Australian community pharmacy. •Theoretical framework and systematic literature review. A key feature of the design was its central focus on Universal Precautions. A structured "3 X 3" approach (3 strategies with 3 activities) was used

The challenge with teach-back: learning from the HeLP RCT

The Health Literacy in Pharmacy (HeLP) project was developed as an educational intervention for community pharmacists and pharmacy assistants, •Educational package on health literacy for community pharmacists and pharmacy assistants. Design features: •Tailored to the needs of Australian community pharmacy. •Theoretical framework and systematic literature review. A key feature of the design was its central focus on Universal Precautions. A structured "3 X 3" approach (3 strategies with 3 activities) was used

Making pharmacies health literacy friendlier: the HeLP project

The Health Literacy in Pharmacy (HeLP) project included the development of an educational package on health literacy for community pharmacists and pharmacy assistants; it was evaluated by a cluster-randomized controlled trial conducted in 77 pharmacies in 3 Australian states. The educational package used a train-the-trainer approach was tailored to the needs of contemporary community pharmacy in Australia. The package was designed within a theoretical framework and drew on a systematic review of current literature supplemented with other resources

Making pharmacies health literacy friendlier: the HeLP project

The Health Literacy in Pharmacy (HeLP) project included the development of an educational package on health literacy for community pharmacists and pharmacy assistants; it was evaluated by a cluster-randomized controlled trial conducted in 77 pharmacies in 3 Australian states. The educational package used a train-the-trainer approach was tailored to the needs of contemporary community pharmacy in Australia. The package was designed within a theoretical framework and drew on a systematic review of current literature supplemented with other resources

Engagement of community pharmacies in a multi-centre education-focused intervention

Introduction: Under the Fifth Community Pharmacy Agreement, research was commissioned to enhance capacity in community pharmacy to identify and manage consumers with varying levels of health literacy. We report our experiences with engaging the participating pharmacies in a unique project design.\ud \ud Methods: Informed by educational literature, our research comprised an education-focussed intervention delivered to participating pharmacies via face-to-face or electronic training. A control group received no intervention. One or two key staff members from each intervention pharmacy participated in a 'train-the-trainer' approach, and were allowed flexibility in training their remaining staff. The modules were designed for comprehensibility by all staff, and included interactive and reflective elements. A target of 528 consumers, from 90 pharmacies across three states, was statistically determined. Recruitment strategies to engage rural and metropolitan pharmacies included advertisements and contact with all pharmacies in identified regions. \ud \ud Results: 77 pharmacies expressed interest in participating; 14 withdrew for logistical reasons. 23, 17 and 23 pharmacies completed face-to-face, electronic, and no training, respectively. The 'trained trainers' and 'trainees' were eligible to claim continuing professional development. Greater engagement with the project was noted with face-to-face delivery, although electronic delivery offered accessibility. In-pharmacy training varied from inclusion of modules in staff meetings to intensive block sessions. \ud \ud Discussion: Engaging community pharmacy staff in an educational intervention underpinned by research presented challenges similar to other intervention projects. Incentivising staff to undergo training and train other staff was deemed successful, and offers a mechanism for nationwide skills development