Background
Described here are the design and proceedings of a workshop that was conducted as part of the 2014 Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia's Medicines Management Conference in Darwin in September 2014.
Aim
To pilot an on‐line self‐assessment tool to allow participants to gauge their cultural responsiveness and communication skills, and subsequently participate in interactive sessions to improve their knowledge and skills in these areas.
Methods
The assessment tool was developed by building on previous work undertaken to develop and trial a Cultural Competency self‐assessment tool. The tool is made of a total of 50 items. Items 1–14 focused on demographic details, details of the patient population the participant serves and any prior training undertaken in the areas of health literacy or cultural responsiveness. The remaining items focused on five specific areas: personal responsibility; valuing and understanding diversity; appreciating dynamics between diverse cultures; understanding organisational strategies to improve cultural and communication competence; and providing culturally and linguistically competent services. Participants were sent an e‐mail request to complete the on‐line tool 4 weeks before the workshop. Participants were asked to bring a copy of their self‐assessment to the workshop. The facilitators collated results and developed a feedback presentation. The workshop included group feedback from the self‐assessment process, followed by facilitated small group work where participants were asked to reflect on areas where they did not score highly and develop a learning plan. Groups were provided with copies of relevant pharmacy professional standards to assist in this process. The second session was facilitated by elders from an Aboriginal community who provided a presentation exploring the impact of different world‐views on people accessing and adhering to biomedical treatments including medicines. The last session involved the group developing plain English explanations of common scenarios they had difficulty with.
Results
Participants achieved a range of learning outcomes. These included assistance in assessing and understanding the impact of functional health literacy on the ability of patients and carers to make informed choices, an appreciation of the effect of different world‐views on participation and utilisation of healthcare services including medicines, and improved ability to convert health jargon into plain English to achieve better, shared understanding with patients and carers. Finally, participants were able to design a personal development plan to improve their cultural competence and communication skills.
Conclusions
Participants gained insights and practical skills in health literacy and cross‐cultural communication skills, and at the same time a model for future educational initiatives was explored and developed.