(130) Description and Evaluation of a Stroke Education Capacity Building Initiative for Vietnamese Speaking Pharmacists

Objective : Insufficient access to linguistically and culturally appropriate stroke education contributes to stroke disparities. A stroke education capacity-building intervention, Viet-Capacity, was implemented for Vietnamese speaking pharmacists to develop community-based stroke education programs for the Vietnamese community. This study describes and evaluates the didactic training component of Viet-Capacity on pharmacist learning.

Methods: A one-day live continuing education event was delivered in English by Pharmacy Practice faculty from Temple University School of Pharmacy and included four modules covering 1) stroke management, 2) cardiovascular disparities in Vietnamese Americans, 3) evidence-based stroke education interventions and 4) community outreach best practices. Modules included didactic lecturing, polling questions, and interactive case-based learning activities. Pre-post tests were administered to all participants. The proportion of participants scoring 80% or higher in the pre-post tests of each module were measured and paired t-test were conducted to analyze changes in knowledge. Post-program surveys were collected to evaluate the perceived quality and effectiveness of the session.

Results: There were 27 Vietnamese speaking pharmacists (median age 38; 75% female) who attended the event. Proportion of participants scoring >80% from pre to post test for module 1, 2, 3, and 4 are as follows: 22.22% to 88.89%; 18.52% to 85.19%; 25.93% to 92.59%; and 25.93% to 92.59%, respectively; p<.0001 for every module. The post-program survey was completed by 96.3% of participants. 95.8% of survey responders rated the program as excellent regarding topic, learning activities, level of content and speakers’ organization of the material

Conclusions: A tailored didactic training program increased the knowledge of stroke management, health disparities, stroke education interventions, and community outreach in Vietnamese speaking pharmacists. Future research will focus on translating pharmacist knowledge into community engagement.