Advisor(s)
Dr. Karen L. Kier, PhD
Ohio Northern University
Pharmacy Practice
k-kier@onu.edu
Confirmation
1
Document Type
Poster
Location
ONU McIntosh Center; Activities Room
Start Date
24-4-2026 10:00 AM
End Date
24-4-2026 10:50 AM
Abstract
Limited English Proficiency (LEP) patients often struggle with communicating in community pharmacies, and healthcare providers such as pharmacists and pharmacy technicians also struggle to convey medical information. With the influx of LEP populations, this study was conducted to assess how equipped pharmacists are to help these patients. Study methods include one-on-one interviews conducted with community pharmacists and a subsequent survey distribution to all licensed Ohio pharmacists. Data was analyzed with QDA Miner for interview themes and Qualtrics/SPSS for the survey responses. Interview data mainly served to gain acute insight into the topic and generate the survey questions. The primary outcome of the survey was confidence in treating LEP patients correlated to confidence using translation tools. The Likert scale data was statistically significant p< 0.05 for all services except vaccines, demonstrating a positive correlation between confidence using language tools and confidence in serving LEP patients. Secondary outcomes included effects of respondent demographics, place of work, patient demographics, year of graduation, and language tools available on confidence treating LEP patients. Overall, there is a correlation between experience and confidence with how well a pharmacist can serve LEP patients in comparison to English-speaking patients. Limitations of this study included a lack of respondent demographic diversity and self-reporting bias throughout the interviews and survey. Future directions include broadening the horizons of the survey to other fields, following the implementation of training protocols, and adding relevant education to continuing education or pharmacy school curricula.
Recommended Citation
Carpenter, Cadence Ann, "Language Accessibility for LEP Patients in Ohio Community Pharmacies" (2026). ONU Student Research Colloquium. 22.
https://digitalcommons.onu.edu/student_research_colloquium/2026/Posters/22
Open Access
Available to all.
Language Accessibility for LEP Patients in Ohio Community Pharmacies
ONU McIntosh Center; Activities Room
Limited English Proficiency (LEP) patients often struggle with communicating in community pharmacies, and healthcare providers such as pharmacists and pharmacy technicians also struggle to convey medical information. With the influx of LEP populations, this study was conducted to assess how equipped pharmacists are to help these patients. Study methods include one-on-one interviews conducted with community pharmacists and a subsequent survey distribution to all licensed Ohio pharmacists. Data was analyzed with QDA Miner for interview themes and Qualtrics/SPSS for the survey responses. Interview data mainly served to gain acute insight into the topic and generate the survey questions. The primary outcome of the survey was confidence in treating LEP patients correlated to confidence using translation tools. The Likert scale data was statistically significant p< 0.05 for all services except vaccines, demonstrating a positive correlation between confidence using language tools and confidence in serving LEP patients. Secondary outcomes included effects of respondent demographics, place of work, patient demographics, year of graduation, and language tools available on confidence treating LEP patients. Overall, there is a correlation between experience and confidence with how well a pharmacist can serve LEP patients in comparison to English-speaking patients. Limitations of this study included a lack of respondent demographic diversity and self-reporting bias throughout the interviews and survey. Future directions include broadening the horizons of the survey to other fields, following the implementation of training protocols, and adding relevant education to continuing education or pharmacy school curricula.