Understanding of Turkish pharmacists health literacy knowledge, attitudes, and behavior

Abstract

Background and Aims: Health literacy is a set of cognitive-social skills and motivation to access, understand, and utilize information to protect and improve the health of individuals. Pharmacists, as public health advisors, need to play an active and effective role in preventing the negative consequences of inadequate health literacy. In this study, we determined the knowledge, attitudes, behaviours, and educational needs related to pharmacists’ health literacy. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in cities across Turkey. According to the ‘2016 Turkish Pharmacists Association Database’, in 2015 and 2016, there were 25,453 and 24,928 private pharmacists, respectively. To calculate the sample size, we used a population of 24,928, a 50% expected prevalence (unknown frequency), a 5% deviation value, a 95% confidence interval, and a 1.0 design effect. The necessary sample size was determined to be 379. Using a random number table, we recruited 398 participants for this study. Results: Our results revealed that the pharmacists who participated in this study stated high awareness of health literacy. Conclusion: In healthcare facilities, pharmacists should play an active role in promoting and delivering health literacy.