Challenges for Polish Community Pharmacists in Provision of Services to Immigrants and Non-Polish-Speakers in 2018

BACKGROUND: International patient services in community pharmacies are becoming increasingly common. The growing number of immigrants, as well as the developing trend of medical tourism, make it necessary to provide these people with access to healthcare services, including pharmaceutical services in generally accessible pharmacies. Serving non-Polish-speaking patients, however, requires both fluent specialist knowledge of a foreign language and interpersonal skills. These skills can greatly influence the proper use of medications by patients. This study aimed to investigate the reported challenges for Polish community pharmacists in the provision of services to immigrants and non-Polish-speakers in 2018. MATERIAL/METHODS: The study included 98 pharmacists and pharmaceutical technicians from community pharmacies in Poland. The research tool was a questionnaire sent to pharmacy staff in cooperation with pharmacy councils in 2018. RESULTS: Analysis of the data gathered using a 5-point Likert scale showed that the participants rated the preparedness for international patient services in pharmacies as medium (mean 2.76±1.33). The mean foreign language knowledge score was 2.99±1.29. The participants indicated a low possibility of acquiring these language skills (mean 2.53±0.91), and emphasized that patients from abroad rarely asked about the use of the medications (mean=2.20±1.06). CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that in 2018, pharmacy staff in Poland did not feel adequately prepared to provide comprehensive pharmacy services for immigrants and non-Polish-speakers, with concerns of non-compliance with medications due to poor communication.