A Pilot Educational Video Series Aimed at Orienting Non-Native English Speakers to the U.S. Pharmacy System

Abstract

Specific Aims: To determine the effectiveness of pharmacy based videos on educating refugee patients about pharmacy services in the U.S. Methods: Non-native English speaking refugee patients were asked to complete a pre-survey, watch an educational video, then complete a post-survey in order to assess their understanding on using pharmacy services. These surveys were administered to patients seen at Banner University Medicine: Family Medicine Clinic. These surveys tested the patients’ understanding of basic knowledge of and ability to utilize pharmacy benefits in the US, including providing necessary identification documents, information about prescriptions and over the counter medications, and availability of interpreter services; data on preferred languages, gender, country of origin, age and refugee status were also collected. Results: Of the 15 patients encountered, 20% of patients completed the surveys (mean age = 73 years). All participants had been residents of the U.S. for at least 5 years at the time of the study. Per the pre-survey responses, 2 out of 3 participants were aware of the availability of an Arabic interpreter upon request at the pharmacy. The post-survey responses showed all participants reported an increased understanding of pharmacy interpreter services. All participants reported that these videos would have been beneficial upon arrival to the United States. Conclusions: The educational video did show an increase in understanding regarding access to pharmacy services. Additional participants need to be recruited to further validate the findings of the study.