The number of differences in the quality of care, access to healthcare and healthcare resources, and clinical outcomes of historically marginalized communities is alarming. It has become paramount, now more than ever, to increase the efforts to improve health equity across the general populace.
Health equity is one of the major social development objectives worldwide, and different measures have been taken to ensure its attainment.
Unfortunately, health inequity can be seen throughout the healthcare system and often leads to disparities in health outcomes for historically marginalized groups and communities.
The unique positioning of pharmacists in the healthcare system has made them invaluable to improving health equity in their immediate community.
This blog post is focused on pharmacists’ role in improving health equity. But before that, we must understand what health equity is and how it differs from health equality.
What is Health Equity?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), health equity is a state where a person can attain the highest level of health and health outcomes.
This means a person can access needed medical services without encountering any avoidable, unfair, or unjust differences, regardless of their group.
The World Health Organization (WHO) further explains these groups as any group, whether defined by social, economic, demographic, geographic differences, or any other dimensions of inequality, including gender, disability, or sexual orientation.
Health Equity vs. Health Equality
It is important to understand that there is a significant difference between health equity and equality.
While health equity concerns everyone’s fair and just access to healthcare and healthcare resources, health equality concerns equal treatment for all patients regardless of limitations or unique circumstances.
The problem with health equality is that while people may get the same quality of care, their unique medical needs may not be addressed.
Role of Pharmacists in Promoting Health Equity
Here are some key roles of pharmacists in improving health equity:
Identifying a Patient’s Needs.
One key to improving health equity is identifying patients’ unique needs. When these needs are identified, offering opportunities and solutions becomes easier.
Pharmacists are uniquely placed in the healthcare system and constantly interact with patients. This explains why pharmacists are crucial in improving health equity among the general populace.
Eliminating Implicit Bias.
Implicit bias is an unconscious feeling of prejudice or stereotype toward a group of people. It is said to be influenced by environment and upbringing.
Implicit bias in pharmacy practice can affect how a pharmacist attends to a patient.
For example, implicit bias against the black community can make a pharmacist suspect a patient who came in for a medication refill.
It unconsciously clouds medical judgment and can result in disparities in the quality of care given.
To improve health equity, pharmacists must eliminate any form of implicit bias and have a standard process for attending to every patient.
Developing Cultural Competence.
Cultural competence refers to a pharmacist’s ability to evaluate the impact of culture on a person’s health decisions and outcomes.
However, cultural competence doesn’t stop at identifying; it also involves devising culturally acceptable and medically necessary solutions for patients.
For example, a pharmacist should be able to identify that a patient’s non-adherence to their medication is due to their cultural beliefs and come up with a personalized solution for that patient.
Engaging in Pharmacy Continuing Education.
Engaging in pharmacy continuing education does not directly help improve health equity. Still, it does help equip pharmacists with necessary skills, such as eliminating implicit bias or cultural incompetency.
When pharmacists are well-informed and knowledgeable, they can effectively address the barriers to health equity they identify when engaging with patients.
At aPHP, several modules address crucial topics in pharmacy practice.
Understanding and Addressing SDOH.
The social determinants of health (SDOH) often hinder healthcare access among individuals and groups.
Through effective communication, a pharmacist can understand the lack of control patients have over these social determinants of health and the impact this has on health outcomes.
With this understanding, the pharmacist can devise ways to address these issues.
For example, understanding that a patient’s financial situation prevents medication access can propel a pharmacist to recommend patient assistance programs (PAPs) or contact the patient’s insurance provider.
Adopting a Person-Centered Care Model.
When pharmacists adopt a person-centered care model, they can address each patient at the point of their medical or pharmaceutical needs.
This is important in improving health equity because it is all about giving fair opportunities that help each individual attain their highest level of health.
Not only does it improve health equity, but it also significantly improves patient satisfaction and increases medication adherence.
Identifying Crucial Healthcare Needs of Your Community.
Health inequities can be unique to different communities.
A pharmacist can help to improve health equity in their immediate community by identifying their unique healthcare needs.
For example, some communities, based on their geographic location, might not have quick access to pharmaceutical care in cases of emergency. A pharmacist who is either assigned to the community or is a member by birth can advocate for the introduction of telepharmacy services to that location.
Advocating for Relevant Policy Changes to Improve Health Equity.
Another effective way pharmacists can improve health equity among the public is by actively advocating for policy changes that can help provide equitable healthcare services to the people.
Unfair systemic policies constantly create barriers to the equitable distribution of health resources and affect health outcomes across different groups, thereby increasing health inequities.
The pharmacist constantly sees the impact of these policies due to contact points with patients.
Because of this exposure, pharmacists are in one of the best positions to lead discussions on necessary policy changes and predict their impact on the public.
Prioritizing Outreaches and Educational Fairs.
The level of education and health literacy can significantly impact equity and result in specific health disparities.
Community pharmacists can prioritize community outreaches and educational fairs to underserved communities, educating them on relevant health risks and the need for medication compliance.
These outreaches can also involve education on the dangers of substance abuse and self-medication.
The level of awareness raised can help the people in these communities make informed health choices and medical decisions for themselves and their loved ones.
Pharmacists can also include point-of-care testing in these outreaches to identify high-risk individuals and render immediate care.
Conclusion
The role of pharmacists in improving health equity cannot be overemphasized.
Every pharmacist—in training or in practice—must be equipped with the right pharmacy skills to qualify them to bridge the health inequity gap.
The health outcomes of several communities are at stake, and we can’t afford to watch these avoidable differences wreak havoc in people’s lives.
From eliminating implicit bias to improving cultural competency and advocating for policy changes, pharmacists have a lot on their plate.
However, there’s no lone warrior in healthcare, and to achieve the highest level of results, all healthcare professionals must join hands to ensure that everyone gets fair opportunities for optimal health.
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