Pharmacy: Patient communication

• Professional communication in pharmacy involves more than just dispensing medications.
• Pharmacists enhance patient care by reducing medication errors and improving public health.
• The pharmacist's role is shifting from medication-centered to patient-centered care.

Patient-Centered Care Dimensions

• Pharmacist must understand the patient's illness experience.
• Pharmacist must perceive each patient's experience as unique.
• Foster an egalitarian relationship with patients.
• Build a therapeutic alliance to meet mutually understood goals.
• Develop self-awareness of personal effects on patients.

Importance of Communication

• Effective patient communication is central to providing pharmaceutical care.
• Communication establishes an ongoing, therapeutic relationship with patients.
• It provides an exchange of information necessary to assess health conditions.
• Communication allows pharmacists to reach decisions on treatment plans.
• Facilitates the implementation of those plans.
• Allows pharmacists to evaluate the effects of treatment on a patient’s quality of life.
• Patients are encouraged to share their experience with therapy.
• Pharmacists initiate dialogue to uncover unanswered questions or misunderstandings.
• Pharmacists ask patients if they experience problems related to therapy or monitor their response to treatment.
• Pharmacists ask patients if they make their own decisions regarding therapy.
• These considerations will influence the patient's decision to re-contact the pharmacist.

Establishing A Therapeutic Relationship

• Assessment involves ensuring the drug therapy is indicated, effective, safe, and convenient.
• Assessment identifies drug therapy problems.
• Care plan resolves drug therapy problems.
• Care plan makes sure therapeutic goals are achieved.
• Care plan prevents new drug therapy problems.
• Evaluation records actual patient outcomes.
• Evaluation assesses progress in meeting therapeutic goals
• Evaluation reassesses problems.
• Continuous follow-up is required.

Communication Skills and Challenges

• Community pharmacists build trustful relationships to improve patient health outcomes.
• Communication reduces individual and governmental costs.
• Communication reduces side effects and toxicity.
• Communication reduces misuse of drugs and improves adherence.
• Better control, responses and powerful interventions are seen from all stakeholders
• Clear communication effectively conveys complex medication information.
• Information is provided to patients, other healthcare professionals, and the public.
• Collaborative teamwork with physicians, nurses, and specialists ensures holistic patient care.
• Cultural competency is achieved by understanding and respecting cultural backgrounds for inclusive care.
• Specific qualities must be implemented: sincerity, clarity, smartness, calmness, simplicity and conciseness.
• Additional traits include being short, confident, specific, competent, satisfying, courteous, sophisticated and conversational.

OBRA 90 Pharmacy Provisions

• The Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 (OBRA 90) focuses on healthcare and budget management.
• OBRA 90 has long-lasting effects on Medicare, pharmacy practice, and healthcare delivery.
• DUR ensures quality care and reduces medical costs.
• DUR involves a comprehensive review of patients' prescriptions and medication data before, during and after dispensing
• DUR makes sure of appropriate medication decision-making and positive patient outcomes.
• Pharmacy providers responsible for prospective drug use review, patient counseling, and maintaining proper patient records.

1-Prospective Drug Use Review

• Checks for over or underutilization.
• Assesses for therapeutic duplication.
• Determines drug disease interaction.
• Sees drug- drug interaction.
• Checks drug food interaction.
• Considers drug allergy and hypersensitivity history.
• Checks for incorrect drug dosage or treatment duration.
• Investigates clinical abuse or misuse.

2-Patient Counseling Standards

• Offering to counsel patients requires making an offer.
• Counseling addresses the drug name, intended use, expected action, route, dosage, form, schedule.
• Side effects and actions to be taken and techniques for self-monitoring are included.

3-Maintaining Patient Records

• Accurate patient profile information is kept.
• Patient's name, address, phone number, date of birth, gender and drug profile are recorded.
• Pharmacist comments, allergies, and drug reactions are noted.

Benefits of Counseling

• Legal protection by providing sufficient information to the patient.
• Maintenance of professional status.
• Increase job satisfaction.
• Job stress reduction.
• Service to attract customers
• Increased revenue.