Making Health Literacy a Practical Goal in Pharmacy

Improving health literacy may sound like a large undertaking, but meaningful change often starts with small, evidence-based steps. Approaches such as Teach Back or simply checking whether a patient struggles with forms can make communication clearer and care safer. Over time, these behaviors add up to significant improvements without overwhelming pharmacists or their teams.

A key barrier is not the lack of resources, but awareness of where to find them. National and international organizations already provide practical guidance, yet many pharmacy professionals remain unaware of available tools. Better signposting to these resources can help teams identify strategies that fit their practice and patients.

Pharmacists also play a vital advocacy role. Awareness of health literacy challenges should lead to amplifying the issue in professional circles, encouraging continuing education, and supporting its integration into pharmacy curricula. Some institutions have already developed training modules that weave health literacy into existing programs, showing that it can be adopted seamlessly.

The profession has also seen a cultural shift. Where patients once accepted a paternalistic model of care, health care today emphasizes shared decision-making. Health literacy is central to supporting that standard, ensuring patients fully understand and engage in their care.

Finally, interprofessional collaboration is essential. Training across disciplines builds teams that place patients at the center, reinforcing health literacy as a foundation of effective care.

On August 30, the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) is hosting the Health Literacy Summit, a pre-event meeting before the organization’s World Congress, which is taking place August 31 to September 3 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The Health Literacy Summit will explore how pharmacists can improve patient outcomes through health literacy and will feature several expert lectures and panel discussions.

Drug Topics® recently sat down with Amy Howard, MS, PharmD, clinical assistant professor at the University of Maryland and the health literacy coordinator at FIP, and Laura Sahm, PhD, professor of clinical pharmacy at University College Cork, who will be speaking at the event, to discuss advice they would give to a pharmacist who wants to become a stronger advocate for health literacy in their community.

READ MORE: Public Health Resource Center

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