PDIS

• Communicate with the patient in a respectful, professional manner.
• Personal barriers are personal characteristics or perceptions that can lead to distraction in communication.
• Barriers in communication refer to interferences that affect the accuracy of the communication exchange.
• Time barriers refer to the timing of the interaction, where inappropriate time may lead to communication failure.
• Common barriers encountered in pharmacy include lack of privacy, lack of time, and physical barriers.
• Be sensitive to clues that suggest potential embarrassment.
• Patient barriers are patient characteristics or perceptions, such as a perception that the pharmacist is not knowledgeable or a belief that the health care system is impersonal.
• Perception is one of the most important elements in the communication process, and perceptual barriers should be recognized and minimized.
• Effective two-way communication requires continual observation and assessment of how the other person is communicating, and body language and gestures provide important clues for the pharmacist, as well as the patient and health care provider.
• Verbal communication is the most prevalent style used, and essential verbal communication skills include the ability to listen, understand, and respond to what people say (active listening), the ability to interpret nonverbal communication and respond in a way that encourages continued interaction (evaluation), and using lay languages for most patients.
• Nonverbal communication is also important in pharmacy, and may be even more effective than verbal communication.
• Communication with healthcare professionals is a crucial aspect of pharmacy, and forms an integral part of patient care.
• Level 3 of CPP involves reactive advice to other healthcare professionals, where pharmacists will assess a prescription before it is dispensed and refuse to dispense it if it is clinically inappropriate.
• Collaborative Pharmacy Practice (CPP) is the advanced clinical practice where pharmacists collaborate with other healthcare professionals in order to care for patients, carers and public.
• Level 5 of CPP involves CPP authority, where the pharmacist is given authority to initiate or modify medicine therapy rather than to advise on the initiation or modification of medicine therapy.
• A pharmacist must be prepared with specific questions or facts and recommendations when initiating a patient care-related conversation with physicians.
• Failure to communicate effectively can jeopardize patient care.
• To communicate effectively with physicians, a pharmacist must choose the right time and place for the conversation, never interrupt a physician-patient interaction, and not go to an attending physician when the question or recommendation is more appropriate for a less senior member of the medical team.
• Level 1 of CPP involves minimal contact, where pharmacists work in isolation from other healthcare professionals with separate responsibilities and there is little requirement for contact between the two professions.
• In the US, a 2018 analysis of over 900 medication incidents associated with patient harm in community pharmacy found three key themes associated with these types of incidents: Communication Gaps, including issues such as Interprofessional Collaboration.
• To communicate effectively with physicians, a pharmacist must be comfortable with their role on the health care team and confident in their unique knowledge and contributions to patient care.
• Communication Gaps are a key theme in medication incidents, highlighting the importance of collaboration and why it is critical for pharmacists to work constructively and communicate effectively with everyone around them.
• Level 2 of CPP involves system-wide authority to supply medicine, where pharmacists have the national or local authority to supply medicines to patients that cannot be obtained from other retail premises.
• A pharmacist must stay within their area of expertise when communicating with physicians.
• Pharmacists and nurses must treat one another with respect and realize that they share the same goal (optimal patient care) and are on the same patient care team.
• Elderly patients may not be able to read prescription labels and other printed material or distinguish among similarly shaped dosage formulations.
• The best way to deal with antagonistic patients is to be as professional and direct as possible.
• Converse with the patient in as private an environment as possible.
• Pharmacists must be able to translate commonly used pharmacy and medical terms into lay terminology.
• Avoid medical jargon when communicating with patients.
• Pharmacists are responsible for recognizing the special situation and having the skills and flexibility necessary to ensure appropriate and effective communication.
• When communicating with elderly patients, take the time to engage them in unhurried conversation, speak slowly and distinctly, avoid youth-oriented vernacular or slang, treat them with respect, and do not assume that every elderly person has impaired hearing.
• When communicating with chronically ill patients, assess their needs, be flexible enough to communicate on an appropriate level, discuss sophisticated therapeutic regimen especially for well-informed patients, and respect the patient’s beliefs.
• Elderly patients may have impaired hearing and vision and may be sensitive to harsh, glaring lights and highly reflective surfaces.
• When communicating with patients from culturally diverse backgrounds, respect the patient and do not impose the country’s health care cultural beliefs and your own belief and values on the patient, talk with the patient about his or her beliefs and work to integrate the patient’s beliefs into the prescribed regimen.
• Most patients find discussions related to sex, intimate body parts, and bodily functions embarrassing.
• The best way to avoid miscommunication and confusion is to speak in plain English and use concrete and specific references.
• Patients who are unable or unwilling to communicate are referred to as antagonistic patients.
• Chronically ill patients may be sophisticated and/or demanding health care consumers and some chronically ill patients know more about the management of their disease than many health care professionals.
• Medical jargon allows all medical professionals to understand each other and communicate effectively.