Pharmacist accessibility for non-native Japanese speakers: A cross-sectional study in Japan

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy practice and patient accessibility
• Cross-cultural healthcare communication
• Public health and primary care services

Background:

• Community pharmacists are key primary healthcare providers with high accessibility.
• Increasing internationalization leads to more interactions with non-Japanese speakers in Japanese pharmacies.
• Ensuring accessibility requires addressing patients' native language and cultural needs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the preparedness of Japanese community pharmacies for serving non-native Japanese speakers.
• To understand the linguistic and cultural challenges faced by pharmacies in diverse patient interactions.
• To identify strategies for improving accessibility for a diverse clientele.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Hirakata and Suma, Japan (September-October 2022).
• Questionnaires assessed interactions with non-native speakers, pharmacy preparedness, and staff language skills.
• Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the collected responses.

Main Results:

• Nearly half of pharmacies surveyed had monthly contact with non-native speakers, primarily for prescription refills.
• English language support was limited, with fewer than 50% of pharmacies offering it.
• Support for other languages like Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese was even less common.

Conclusions:

• Japanese pharmacies exhibit insufficient readiness to cater to the linguistic and cultural needs of non-Japanese speakers.
• Recommendations include enhancing pharmacy preparedness for language barriers and implementing cultural competence training.
• Improving these aspects is vital for equitable access to pharmaceutical care for diverse populations.