Reflections on 500 call-in radio shows

Pharmacy educators, whether in didactic classes, laboratory settings, or experiential opportunities, search for ways to incorporate “real life” patient questions and concerns into the educational process. This practice not only enhances the educational opportunities for students, it also prepares them for questions and concerns that they will inevitably face as practicing professionals. This commentary describes listener calls from 500, live, call-in radio shows. There is no accurate way to directly assess information that patients do not know or understand. The author suggests using commonly asked pharmacy-based questions, directly from the public, as a proxy to identify the information most desired by patients. The author assumes that radio callers are not calling to ask questions when they already know the answers. Thus, having identified the information most desired by radio-show callers, pharmacist educators, no matter the setting, can be provided with a ready-made resource that lists the most common concerns from over 6,000 radio callers. The author recommends educators use this resource and apply real patient questions and concerns during the educational process, furthermore, opportunities to use this resource are provided.