The Need for Medication Information in the Patient's Language
More than one in five people living in the U.S. speak a language other than English at home. A large and growing group of individuals, numbering more than 25 million in 2011, have LEP and consequently face enormous challenges when communicating with health professionals about medication use. Compared to English-speaking individuals, persons with LEP are more likely to experience medication errors and less likely to understand medication and dosing information or adhere to recommended medication regimens.
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on national origin, has been widely interpreted as prohibiting discrimination against LEP persons. Entities receiving federal funding, including pharmacies, must provide meaningful access to individuals with LEP. In addition, all states have laws supporting the provision of language services during patient counseling, the distribution of written information, or both. However, oversight of the health care industry's compliance with these rules is extremely limited; federal regulation related to medication information does not require pharmacies or pharmaceutical companies to make such information available in any language other than English.
Unfortunately, medication information from pharmaceutical manufacturers is rarely available in languages other than English. Also, despite poor outcomes associated with misunderstanding medication information, few pharmacies translate prescription instructions, print non-English prescription labels, prepare non-English information packets, or communicate with consumers in languages other than English. Many pharmacies lack access to translation software, telephone interpretation services, or appropriately skilled personnel with fluency in other languages. While chain pharmacies and pharmacies with large LEP patient populations are more likely to have some capacity to translate prescription labels either verbally or in print, researchers have found that translation practices are often inconsistent and potentially hazardous, risking perpetuating health disparities among LEP patients.
