The document provides an introduction to communication skills for pharmacists. It defines communication and discusses the importance of communication skills for pharmacists when interacting with patients. The goals of communication are outlined as understanding, improving relationships, and changing beliefs. Effective pharmacist-patient communication requires using skills like asking open-ended questions, being aware of nonverbal cues, active listening, providing reflective responses, and verifying understanding. Different types of communication are also described.

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‫اﻟرﺣﯾم‬ ‫اﻟرﺣﻣن‬ ‫ﷲ‬ ‫ﺑﺳم‬
Dr. khaled Alhumaidha
Assistant Professor of
Pharmacology and Toxicology
Introduction to
Communication Skill
Prepare by:Dr. khaled Alhumaidha

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Lecture item
Lecture item
 What is Communication?
 Communication Skill
 the goals of communication
 Skills Necessary for Pharmacist-
Patient Communications
 THE TYPES OF COMMUNICATION
Communication
Communication
 It is the transfer of information, ideas, feelings with or
without the use of words (signals).
 It is the process in which messages are generated and
sent by one person and received and translated by
another person.
 • The goal of all commination is understanding.

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 Communication is the process of passing information
and understanding the same from one person to another.
Thus, communication means to understand information,
facts or opinions of someone.
 Over 70% of our time is spent communicating with others,
and that’s the one interaction every person must do.
Everyone must communicate their needs and ideas.
Skill
Skill
 Definition: the ability, coming from one's knowledge,
practice, aptitude, etc., to do something well
 ▪By definition a skill requires practice
 •Rarely can individuals do something well without
practice
 •Challenges:
 ❖New situations require altered ways of communicating
 ❖No two patients are alike

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What you say and how you say it
Communication Skill
What you say and how you say it

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(REASONS WHY PEOPLE COMMUNICATE)
THE GOALS OF COMMUNICATION
(REASONS WHY PEOPLE COMMUNICATE)
To Increase Our Personal
Awareness
To Improve Our Social and
Professional Relationships
To Change Other People’s Beliefs,
Values, and Attitudes

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Why are good communication skills
important to a pharmacist?
Why are good communication skills
important to a pharmacist?
 The communications skills of a pharmacist are
very important.
 Effective communication with patients is
essential and improves health outcomes .
 The World Health Organization (WHO)
report entitled “The role of the pharmacist in
the health care system: preparing the future
pharmacist” identified the pharmacist as a
“communicator”
 It is vital for the pharmacist to be able to
communicate to the patient the correct way to take
the drug, and to effectively answer the patient’s
questions about any possible drug interactions.
 the pharmacist must be skilled in not only noticing
prescribing mistakes, but in communicating those
mistakes to the prescriber so that they can be
corrected.
 Pharmacists also work in hospitals and must be able
to communicate effectively with the doctors, nurses,
and pharmacy technicians who work there, to
coordinate appropriate patient care and drug
therapy

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 Poor communication between
pharmacists and patients may result in
 an inaccurate patient medication history
 inappropriate therapeutic decisions
 may contribute to patient confusion
 no adherence
 Poor communication between pharmacists
and physicians, pharmacists and nurses, and
pharmacists and pharmacists may harm patients
if important information is not exchanged in an
appropriate and timely manner
 Fortunately, communication skills can be learned.
One incentive for improving communication skills
is that pharmacists with excellent communication
skills are likely to have very satisfying and
successful careers.
 Effective communication between pharmacists
and patients or family members is extremely
important to pharmaceutical care.
 Ineffective communication leads to confusion
and misunderstanding and may contribute to
inappropriate decisions regarding drug therapy

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Pharmacist-Patient Communication
Pharmacist-Patient Communication
 imagine that you've just left your doctor's office with a prescription for
some medication. When you go to pick up the medication at the
pharmacy, no one says anything to you. They just hand you the bag with
the medication and take your money, and send you on your way.
 At home you examine the label on the prescription bottle. It says:
 'Prednisone 250 mg tablets. 1 tablet q12h PO.'
 What does that mean?
 people may use medication the wrong way, either
overdosing or under-dosing, which can lead to serious
health-related problems.
 This is why proper communication between
pharmacists and patients is critical.
Skills Necessary for Pharmacist-Patient Communications
 Keep it short. Use shorter words and sentences as
well.
 Be specific when you're communicating with
patients. For example, instead of saying 'people take
this medication once every 12 hours' you can say
something like 'you should take this medication
once every 12 hours.' Or, even better, 'take one
tablet at 8 a.m. and one tablet at 8 p.m. every day.‘
 Choosing words wisely: Pharmacists need to
choose their words carefully to minimize confusion
and maximize patient understanding

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Benefits of communication to the
patient
Benefits of communication to the
patient
Reduced errors in using medications
Reduced noncompliance
Reduced adverse drug reactions
Reassurance that medications are safe
and effective
Additional explanation about their
illness
Assistance with self-care

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Benefits of consultation to the
pharmacist
Benefits of consultation to the
pharmacist
 Legal protection since pharmacists may be held
accountable for injury resulting from insufficient
information provided to the patient
 Maintenance of professional status as a part of the
health care team
 Increased job satisfaction
 An added service to attract customers and an aid in
market competition
 Reduced job stress (the pharmacist gains the patient
trust and cooperation)

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THE TYPES OF COMMUNICATION
THE TYPES OF COMMUNICATION
 Interpersonal communication: — communication
that occurs during “face-to face” conversations and
interactions.
 Intrapersonal communication:
 any communication that transpires within an individual.
 Examples include thinking, daydreaming, meditating, and
“talking to yourself.”

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THE TYPES OF COMMUNICATION
THE TYPES OF COMMUNICATION
 Mass communication (mass media):
 involves a person or organization that disseminates a
message through mass media (such as television,
radio, the Internet, or social media) to reach other
individuals in the population at the same time.
THE TYPES OF COMMUNICATION
THE TYPES OF COMMUNICATION
 Group communication:
 any communication that takes place between two or
more persons in a group setting or context.
 Intercultural communication:
 human communication or behavior between people of
different races, ethnic backgrounds, an cultures.

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Interactive communication
Interactive communication
 Interactive communication is a process that
facilitates a dialogue to provide multiple
opportunities to accurately interpret
meaning and respond appropriately.
 An interactive model is similar to a
discussion rather than a lecture

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The pharmaceutical helping
model
The pharmaceutical helping
model
 The patient talks and the pharmacist assists
the patient with exploring the problem and
possible solutions
 Facilitates a discussion between the
pharmacist and the patient and allows the
pharmacist to gather more information to
improve therapeutic outcomes.
Interactive communication
Interactive communication
Requires five key elements:
open-ended questions;
awareness of nonverbal cues
active listening
reflective responses
verification of understanding.

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Open-ended questions
Open-ended questions
 A key component of interactive communication
 are questions that start with who, what, where,
when, how and why and require more than a
yes/no response
 Closed-ended questions elicit yes/no responses
and limit the information sought from the receiver
 These types of questions should be avoided

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Open-ended questions
Open-ended questions
Scenario two
Closed-ended:
 "Do you know how to take your medication?"
 "Yes.“
Open-ended:
 "What did the doctor tell you about taking the
medications?"
Nonverbal cues
Nonverbal cues
 Facial expressions, body posture, gestures, tone of voice
and use of eye contact are all forms of nonverbal
communication
 Are critical for effective communication
 What we say and how we say it must have the same
meaning

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Positive Nonverbal cues
Positive Nonverbal cues
 is either a conscious or an unconscious expression
of negative feelings through movements of the
body.
 Poor stance or posture
 Arms Crossed Over the Chest
 Nail Biting
Negative Nonverbal cues
Negative Nonverbal cues

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 Hand Placed on Cheek and Biting Your Lip
 Tapping or Drumming Fingers
 Touching Your Nose
 Placing Your Fingertips Together
Negative Nonverbal cues
Negative Nonverbal cues
 Head In Hands
 Pulling Your Ear
 Sitting on the Edge of Your Seat
 Crossing Your Ankles
 Touching or Fixing Your Hair

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Negative Nonverbal cues
Negative Nonverbal cues
Active listening
Active listening
 Studies show that most people are not good
listeners.
 In pharmacy practice environments,
listening skill may be further challenged by
the perception or reality of little time and by
the attitudes of the listener and/or the
speaker
 Pharmacists tend to be busy people

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Active listening
Active listening
 The following are specific habits that may interfere
with an individual's ability to listen.
 Also listed are recommendations for improving
one's listening ability.
 1- Trying to do two or more things at once. This
lack of attention comes across as a lack of interest
in the other person and what they are saying to
you.
 Solution: Get rid of distractions.
Active listening
Active listening
 2- Jumping to conclusions before a person has
completed his or her message. The result is you only
hear part of what was said.
 Solution: Stop talking, you can't listen if you are
talking.
 3- Communicating stereotypes that you have
internalized.
 Solution: React to the information, not the person.

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Active listening
Active listening
 4- Faking interest in what is being
discussed.
 Solution: Use good eye contact, this will
help you concentrate.
 5- Judging the individual based upon his
or her appearance or condition.
 Solution: Focus on content, nonverbal cues
and the manner in which something is said.
3-Reflective responses
3-Reflective responses
 Reflect back to the sender the receiver's understanding
of both the content of what was said and the feelings
that were expressed.
 they enable the receiver to check for the level of
understanding of the information delivered from the
sender
 they are a powerful tool in establishing rapport
with patients, other pharmacy personnel and other
healthcare providers.

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Reflective responses
Reflective responses
Scenario
 Patient: "I'm just not sure about this medicine."
 Pharmacist: Imagine a reflective response you could
use. Then compare it to the examples.
 Suggested responses:
 "It seems that you are concerned about your
prescriptions,"
 or "You appear to be feeling unsure about your
prescription.
Verification of understanding
Verification of understanding
 Verifying understanding prevents
misunderstandings.
 it is a checkpoint for communication.
 This process involves asking the receiver to state back
the message that was sent by the sender and enables
confirmation of what a person knows ... Not what we
think they know.
 This tool confirms that the sender's message was
translated as intended.

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Effective communication
Effective communication
 Effective communication is a dynamic process
that requires using a wide variety of skills.
 Those discussed in this program include use of
open-ended questions, nonverbal cues,
listening skills, reflective responses and
verifying understanding.
 How do we learn to put all of this together? We
must practice, practice, practice and
practice.