Health Literacy

Description of SVG

FIP’s Health Literacy Programme is aimed at fostering health equity and inclusivity through enhanced health literacy and is dedicated to understanding and strengthening the crucial connections between health literacy, self-care practices, inclusive healthcare, and equitable pharmacy services.

Programme objectives:

  1. Understand the links between health literacy, self-care, inclusive health and equity in pharmacy.  
  2. Identify opportunities for pharmacy to improve health literacy.  
  3. Provide evidence and tools to support health literacy development in pharmacy. 

Identifying pharmacy -led actions for improving health literacy

2023

This report provides a summary of a roundtable discussion on strategies to enhance health literacy through pharmacy interventions. Key areas include increasing pharmacists’ awareness of their role in health literacy, integrating pharmacy roles within the healthcare system, and improving patient awareness of pharmacy services. The report emphasises the need for pharmacists to manage time effectively, develop educational programmes for healthcare professionals, and overcome language barriers. It advocates for patient-centered care, utilizing behavioural change models, and professional collaboration. The report showcases the impact of these actions on health outcomes and concludes with a call for continued efforts to improve health literacy globally.

 

Health inclusivity, agency and empowerment: Developing solutions to help pharmacists drive better health outcomes

2023 

This roundtable highlights the importance of health inclusivity to achieve good health and well-being. Health literacy (an important element in health inclusivity) is identified as the main enabler for self-care.

   

Empowering self-care

2022 

This handbook aims to provide the pharmacy workforce with relevant and concise guidance on coaching practices and person-centered approaches to promoting and engaging in self-care in six areas (sore throat, gastrointestinal complaints, musculoskeletal pain, children's fever, sexual health, and disinfection and the pharmacy) of frequent consultations.

Shaping the future of self-care through pharmacy: Collection of summaries from the digital events programme - series II: Self-care support for community pharmacy teams

2022

This publication provides a summary of the events related to the practice elements of pharmacists’ interventions in selfcare.

Shaping the future of self-care through pharmacy: Collection of summaries from the digital events programme - series I: Towards sustainable and universal healthcare systems and coverage

2022

This publication provides a summary of the events related to the policy elements of pharmacists’ interventions in promoting informed self-care.

   

The global threat of air pollution and its impact on patient care: Supporting pharmacy practice and workforce development

 2021

The Call to Action is a vital tool that can be deployed by pharmacists to ensure environmental health literacy.

 

 

 

FIP Statement of Policy on Digital Health

2021

This policy statement outlines the transformative impact of digital technologies on healthcare systems. It emphasises the role of digital tools in streamlining pharmaceutical services, enhancing clinical practices, and improving health outcomes. The policy highlights the pharmacy profession’s adoption of digital solutions such as e-prescribing, telehealth, and online pharmacies, which facilitate better patient care and medication management. It also stresses the importance of regulatory and ethical frameworks to support the use of digital health technologies, ensuring equitable and efficient healthcare delivery.

Pharmacy as a gateway to care: Helping people towards better health

2017

This document highlights several aspects of self-care, from its architecture (especially behavioral and system components) to the understanding and importance of health systems, and from the diversity in legal frameworks to the many pharmacy/pharmacist services available or being enhanced.

E-labelling & Digital Transformation in Pharmacy

18 April 2024

E-labelling, also known as electronic labelling, represents a significant step towards digital transformation in providing medication information electronically rather than through traditional paper information leaflets (PILs). At the 2023 FIP Congress in Brisbane, Australia, an insight board was convened to delve into the value, benefits, and barriers associated with e-labelling, its role in promoting health equity and equitable access to health information as well as the role of pharmacists in facilitating e-labelling adoption. Subsequently, a report summarising key insights and recommendations from the board was produced. FIP is hosting a digital event to build on the results of the report and to further explore e-labelling as a solution for improving accessibility and equity in health information, whilst also addressing challenges associated with the technology and regulatory aspects.

Empowering early career pharmacists: Self-care interventions in common gastrointestinal and respiratory symptoms for enhanced patient care

30 August 2023

This digital event is designed as a collection of three CPB Bites to equip early career pharmacists with essential self-care knowledge in the context of reflux management, irritable bowel syndrome, and respiratory symptoms (including sore throat). Issues around gender biases in patient interactions and during treatment will be highlighted.

Health and self-care literacy for the management of minor ailments in the pharmacy - Reflux management, Heart burn and indigestion 

30 May 2023

Part of "shaping the future of self-care through pharmacy" programme which aims to understand the clinical aspects and health literacy needs with regards to reflux management, heartburn, and indigestion. In addition to identifying strategies for pharmacists to enable health and self-care literacy in reflux management, heartburn, and indigestion. It also focuses on discussing enablers across education and training, care protocols and services, access to patient information, and referral strategies.

Health literacy and self-care for the management of minor ailments in the pharmacy - Sore throat, cough, cold and flu management 

9 May 2023 

This event aims to:

1) Understand the clinical aspects and health literacy needs with regards to sore throat, cold and flu.

2) Identify strategies for pharmacists to enable health and self-care literacy in the management of sore throat, cold and flu.

3) Discuss enablers across education and training, care protocols and services, access to patient information and referral strategies.

 

Health and self-care literacy for the management of minor ailments in the pharmacy - Children's fever management 

19 April 2023

Part of "shaping the future of self-care through pharmacy" programme which aims to understand the clinical aspects and health literacy needs with regards to children's fever. In addition to identifying strategies for pharmacists to enable health and self-care literacy in children's fever. It also focuses on discussing enablers across education and training, care protocols and services, access to patient information, and referral strategies.

 

Health land self-care literacy for the management of minor ailments in the pharmacy - Body pain management

29 May 2023 

Part of "shaping the future of self-care through pharmacy" programme which aims to:

1) Understand the key clinical issues and literacy needs when it comes to the management of body pain.

2) Identify strategies for pharmacists to enable health and self-care literacy in the management of body pain.

3) Discuss enablers across education and training, care protocols and services, access to patient information and referral strategies.

Health and self-care literacy for the management of minor ailments in the pharmacy: Women's intimate wellness and health 

8 March 2023 

This event aims to:

1) Understand the key issues and literacy needs when it comes to intimate well-being and health in women.

2) Identify strategies for pharmacists to enable health and self-care literacy for women.

3) Discuss enablers across education and training, care protocols and services, access to patient information and referral strategies.

 

Reflux management in the community

25 January 2023 

Part of "shaping the future of self-care through pharmacy" programme which focuses on:

1) The resources FIP developed on reflux management.

2) Understand the main therapeutic options to support relief of reflux-like symptoms.

3) Explore pharmacists' perspectives of reflux management.

 

 

Empowering Pharmacy Teams: Leveraging Global Insight for Self-Care Enhancement

25 July 2023 

This event aims to discuss effective strategies for empowering pharmacy teams in their self-care practices.

 

 

Supporting self-care: sexual health

20 January 2022

This webinar will focus particularly on advice, screening and testing, as well as appropriate management of choices of medicines and products to support sexual health. A case study will be presented and the event will conclude with a panel discussion.

Innovation in self-care models, shaping the future together.

13 January 2022

This event aims to discuss which medicines are appropriate to switch from prescription-only to non-prescription (Over The Counter Medicines) and describe how diagnostics can support self-care.

Achieve equitable, inclusive and quality pharmaceutical education for all: Launch of the FIP toolkit for addressing inequities in pharmaceutical education 

9 September 2022 

FIP research indicate that inequities in pharmaceutical education need to be addressed, and this FIP toolkit for addressing inequities in pharmaceutical education intends to motivate, assess, and inform forward thinking changes targeted at transforming pharmaceutical education through addressing inequities globally, across all regions and locally.

 

 

Empowering self-care through pharmacy – Guidelines and resources for pharmacists

23 February 2022

FIP event aims to support pharmacists through advocacy and by developing professional resources in the area of self-care.

 

Supporting self-care: Children's health

16 December 2021 

This webinar will focus particularly on the appropriate management of choices of medicines and products to support children's health and the role of the pharmacist. A case study will be presented and the event will conclude with a panel discussion.

 

Self-care's contribution to universal health coverage - Healthcre's and people's perspectives

9 December 2021 

This event discusses how self-care can contribute to Universal Health Coverage from the perspectives of providers of healthcare and the public and patients.

Supporting self-care: Gastrointestinal complaints and treatments

2 December 2021 

This event aims to explore lifestyle factors that can cause or worsen gastrointestinal complaints and the role of pharmacy team in supporting the majority of customers to self-care and effectively manage their symptoms.

Supporting self-care: Sore throat

23 November 2021 

This webinar aims to help pharmacists enhance their role as the primary healthcare professionals in the appropriate management of sore throat through improved communication and appropriate management that supports self-care.

 

Supporting self-care: disinfection in common conditions

15 October 2021

This event aims to explain the benefits of hand and surface disinfection in stopping the transmission of a range of common infections that are transmitted in the home and everyday life setting and profile the role of pharmacy team can play in providing patient and public education on disinfection in disease containment and management.

Accelerating selfcare to achieve Universal Health Coverage

6 October 2021 

This event aims to identify mechanisms that will enable the acceleration of self-care to achieve Universal Health Coverage.

Supporting self-care: Women's health

9 September 2021 

This webinar aims to identify how the community pharmacy team can support self-care for women with common health problems.

Dynamics shaping the future self-care market

2 September 2021 

This event aims to describe the future dynamics of the self-care market and explain the value of self-care.

Selfcare in the digital age 

11 August 2021

This event will explore the latest developments in digital health that support self-care. it will identify practical strategies to appraise the latest technology and manage misinformation and the 'infodemic'. Current practice and the role of the pharmacist in digital health is also discussed.

Supporting self-care: Footcare in diabetes management

28 July 2021 

This webinar aims to strengthen the link of Foot Health and Diabetes and to create an interest and commitment to regular foot care for every diabetic prescription dispensed to the patient.

 

Readying the global population for self-care: Health Literacy in the 2020s

24 July 2021

This event will explore the evolution in our understanding of health literacy and identify practical strategies to improve health literacy in community populations. The role of the pharmacist in health literacy is also discussed.

Supporting self-care: musculoskeletal pain and chronicity

30 June 2021

This event aims to identify how the community pharmacy team can support self-care for people with musculoskeletal pain.

Delivering person-centred support for self-care: current and future pharmacy practice

16 June 2021 

This event will showcase current self-care delivery in community pharmacy across the globe and explore how future delivery could look.

Appropriate management in the  choice of medicines for self-care

2 June 2021 

This event will showcase the four pillars of the FIP Community Pharmacy Section's Vision - review, prescribe, dispense, and administer. It will also signpost how to empower patients, pharmacists, and healthcare professionals about the value of self-care management for selecting medicines for self-care.

Health illiteracy and vaccine misinformation as determinants for equity: developing policies to establish access to quality information in an equitable way

26 August 2021

This event will have a focus on the issues around health literacy and access to information.

Shaping the future of self-care: healthcare needs & challenges

19 May 2021 

This event will set the scene for FIP's self-care digital events programme. It will describe what the programme consists of and the main learning outcomes. It will also describe what self-care involves, its benefits and the future of self-care.

Self-care: Managing mild COVID-19 symptoms, dispelling the myths

24 November 2020 

This event aims to describe an evidence-based approach for self-care of mild COVID-19 symptoms.