How Do You Properly Take Medication if You Can't Read the Label?

How would you feel if you went to a pharmacy and the pharmacist gave you a medication with a prescription label that was written in a different language? How would you know how to properly take the medication, or what the dosage information was? Limited-English proficient patients often experience this confusion when they have to take medication with a prescription label written in English. As the United States becomes increasingly more culturally and linguistically diverse, certain populations face a higher risk of adverse medical incidents occurring because of communication barriers associated with their language ability (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2012). In order to minimize these medical incidents and ensure a high quality of care for limited-English proficient patients, healthcare providers must educate the public on useful approaches.