Title 28. COMMUNICATION SKILLS, INCLUDING PATIENT COUNSELLING TECHNIQUES, MEDICATION HISTORY INTERVIEW, PRESENTATION OF CASES.pdf ✅

PHARMD GURU Page 1 PATIENT COUNSELLING AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS DEFINITION: Patient counseling is abroad term which describes the process through which healthcare professionals attempt to increase patient knowledge of health care issues.  Patient counseling may be verbal or written performed on an individual basis or in groups, & provide directly to the patient or care giver.  The process provides for the exchange of information between the patient & health practitioner.  The information gathered is needed to assess the patient’s medical condition to further design, select, implement, evaluate & modify health interventions. OUTCOMES OF THE PATIENT COUNSELLING:  Patient recognizes the importance of their wellbeing.  It encourages the patient to establish a working relationship with a pharmacist & foundation for continual interaction and consultation.  It improves the coping strategies to deal with medication side effects and drug interactions.  To motivates the patient to take medicine for improvement of his/her health status.  The patient becomes an informed, efficient and active participant in disease treatment and self-care management.  Develops the ability in patient to take appropriate medication related decision concerning the compliance or adherence to their medication regimen. PATIENT COUNSELING METHODS: The structure of the counseling session is divided into four groups: 1) Introduction of the session. 2) Content of the session. COMMUNICATION SKILLS, INCLUDING PATIENT COUNSELLING TECHNIQUES, MEDICATION HISTORY INTERVIEW, PRESENTATION OF CASES
PHARMD GURU Page 2 3) Process followed. 4) Conclusion of the session. COUNSELING CONTENT ITEMS: 1) Discuss the name and indication of the medication. 2) Explain the dosage regimen including duration of therapy when appropriate. 3) Assist the patient in developing a plan to incorporate the medication regimen into his/her daily routine. 4) Explain how long it will take for the drug to show its effect. 5) Discuss storage and refilling information. 6) Emphasize the benefits of completing the medication as prescribed. 7) Discuss the potential side effect. 8) Discuss how to prevent or manage the side effects of the drug. 9) Discuss the precautions. 10) Discuss the significant drug‐drug, drug‐food, and drug‐disease interaction. 11) Explain precisely what to do if the patient misses the dose. 12) Explore the potential problems of the patient. 13) Provides accurate information. 14) Use language that the patient is likely to understand. 15) Use the appropriate counseling aids to support counseling. 16) Present the fact and order in a logical order. 17) Maintain control & direction of the counseling session. 18) Probes for additional information. 19) Use open‐ended question. 20) Display effective non‐verbal behaviors. COUNSELING CONCLUSION STEPS: 1. Verify the patient understanding via feedback. 2. Summaries by acknowledging or emphasizing key points of information. 3. Provide an opportunity for final concerns or questions. 4. Help the patient to plan, follow up and next consecutive steps. INTERACTIVE COMMUNICATION SKILLS REQUIRES: 1. Open‐ended questions. 2. Awareness of non-verbal cues.
PHARMD GURU Page 3 3. Active listening. 4. Reflective responses, and 5. Verification of understanding. 1. OPEN ENDED QUESTIONS:  A key component of interactive communication is using open‐ended questions.  Open‐ended questions are questions that start with who, what, where, when, how and why and require more than a yes/no response to these questions encourage disclosure of information.  Closed‐ended questions and leading/restrictive questions elicit yes/no responses and limit the information sought from the receiver. These types of questions should be avoided. Example: 1. Closed‐ended: "Do you know how to take your medication?" "Yes" 2. Leading/restrictive: "You're familiar with your medications, aren't you? “Yes” 3. Open‐ended: "What did the doctor tell you about taking the medications? 2. AWARENESS OF NON-VERBAL CUES: 1) Appropriate nonverbal cues are also critical for effective communication.  Facial expressions.  Body posture.  Tone of voice and  The use of eye contact. 2) All are the forms of nonverbal clues. Skilled use of our nonverbal communication can make the difference between successful interactive dialogues and frustrating non-productive encounters. 3) What we say and how we say it must have the same meaning. When nonverbal cues are inconsistent with the words spoken, people tend to believe the nonverbal message. APPROPRIATE NON‐VERBAL CLUES: 1. Friendly and smiling facial expressions. 2. Varied eye contact (consistent, but not startling.) 3. Professional appearance.