Prescriber Practices and Barriers to Providing Prescription Medication Instructions for Patients With a Non-English Language Preference

Purpose

Patients in the United States with limited English proficiency, referred to as a non-English language preference, are at risk for serious negative medication-related outcomes. Evidence suggests that these negative outcomes are associated with miscommunication of prescription medication instructions between prescribers and patients and between prescribers and dispensing pharmacies. We sought to explore relevant practices and barriers.

Methods

We recruited outpatient prescribers from a large academic medical health center via an e-mail listserv. We developed and distributed a questionnaire to identify prescribers’ practices, barriers, and interactions with patients, interpreters, and pharmacies regarding provision of non-English prescription medication instructions.

Results

Of the 477 e-mail addresses on the listserv, 169 (35.4%) prescribers completed the questionnaire. The prescribers were predominantly White (73.4%), female (75.7%), and physicians (doctors of medicine or doctors of osteopathic medicine, 86.0%), and they had an average age of 41.0 years. The majority (61.5%) reported a lack of awareness of best practices to provide non-English instructions to patients or pharmacies, and most (91.8%) did not inform patients that they could request a non-English medication label from their pharmacy. Many prescribers (69.8%) did not feel confident that their patients with a non-English language preference received accurate written medication instructions.

Conclusions

Prescribers reported confusion about the role of the dispensing pharmacy and varied regarding their expectations and provision of non-English medication instructions. Access to medication information in languages other than English is facilitated when prescribers and pharmacies know and follow best practices for language access plans and use of language services.