Pharmacy Communication

1
Pharmacy Communication

• Barriers
• Challenges
• Rewards

2
OBRA 90Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1990

• Name of med, brand and generic
• Description of med, use and expected action
• Route of administration, dosage form, dosage, and
  duration of treatment
• Special directions for prep, administration, and
  use

• Common side effect, how to avoid, and what to do
  if they occur
• Techniques for self-monitoring therapy
• Storage
• Refills
• What to do if you miss a dose

3
3 Key Questions

• What did your provider tell you this medication
  is for?
• How did your provider tell you to take this
  medication?
• What side effects or reactions did your provider
  inform you about?

4
Pharmaceutical Care and Patient Counseling

• Providing pharmaceutical care means that, at the
  end of the day, pharmacists measure their success
  by how many people they have helped, NOT by how
  many prescriptions they have filled.
• Rovers JP, et al. A practical guide to
  pharmaceutical care. Washington, DC APhA,
  1998, p. 6.

5
Interpersonal Communication
6
LISTENING. . . and being a good listener

• How many of you have had a patient quit listening
  to you in the middle of a counseling effort?
• Barriers to Actively Listening
• Preoccupation
• Arguing
• Lack of Interest

7
Communication Not Just What You Say
8
EmpathyHave you walked a mile in their shoes?

• Facilitating
• Attentiveness to patient
• Perceiving
• Identification and Labeling of Feelings
• Responding
• Willingness to understand and listen
• Rapport HM et al. The guidebook for patient
  counseling. Lancaster, PA Technomic Publishing,
  1994, p. 21-28.

9
Environmental Barriers

• Physical barriers between you and your patients
• The amazing Disappearing Pharmacist
• Noise, Interruptions, Congestion
• Communication blockades

10
Psychological Barriers

• Words
• Interpretation of words
• Medical jargon
• Abbreviations/acronyms

11
Barriers of Perception

• Negative or positive perception of you as a
  pharmacist
• Patients personal experience

12
Feedback

• How our message is interpreted by the patient and
  sent back to us
• Quiz . . .

13
Attitudes Towards Your Practice

• What kind of pharmacist are you going to be?
• Proactive
• Quiet, reserved, shy
• Confident

14
TIME!!!!!!!

• Perhaps the greatest barrier of all in the
  practice of pharmacy
• Do you have time to spend with your patientsand
  is it quality time?

15
So . . . what about those difficult patients?

• Patience, Patience, Patience
• Politeness
• Firm, but not unyielding

16
Special Populations

• Elderly
• Children/Teenagers
• Illiterate or Non-native speakers
• Angry/Emotional

17
Last, but not least,

• Always have a smile in your voice!