Teaching Spanish using the pharmacists' patient care process

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Health Equity
• Spanish Language in Healthcare

Background:

• The Hispanic population is the largest and fastest-growing minority in the U.S.
• Healthcare providers, including pharmacists, need to be culturally competent and linguistically prepared to serve this demographic.
• Medical Spanish proficiency is crucial for effective patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the design and implementation of a medical Spanish course for student pharmacists.
• To utilize the Pharmacists' Patient Care Process (PPCP) as a framework for teaching practical pharmaceutical Spanish.
• To enhance student pharmacists' ability to care for Hispanic patients.

Main Methods:

• Developed a two-credit hour elective course on medical Spanish for student pharmacists.
• Structured lessons around the five steps of the Pharmacists' Patient Care Process (PPCP): collect, assess, plan, implement, and follow-up.
• Assessed student learning through self-reflections and course evaluations.

Main Results:

• The course attracted high interest from students across different professional years and Spanish proficiency levels.
• Student feedback indicated increased confidence in working with diverse cultural backgrounds.
• Students reported improved medical Spanish skills specifically within the context of pharmaceutical care.

Conclusions:

• The Pharmacists' Patient Care Process (PPCP) provides an effective framework for teaching medical Spanish.
• Pharmacy programs can integrate medical Spanish into their curriculum with minimal resource investment.
• This educational approach can improve pharmacists' preparedness to serve the Hispanic patient population.