Patient counseling refers to the process of providing information, support, and guidance to patients to help them make informed decisions about their health. The goal of patient counseling is to empower patients to take an active role in managing their health, which can lead to better health outcomes. Patient counseling can cover a wide range of topics, from medication management and lifestyle changes, to understanding medical conditions and treatments.
3. What is
patient
counselling
Providing the following to patients
Information
Advice
Assistance
Safe & Effective drug-therapy depends on
patient being well-informed about their
medication
WHY is patient counselling needed ?: So
that patient use their medication properly
4. What is
patient
counselling
Understand
patient illness &
medications
prescribed
Personalized
advice on taking
medications
Provide advise
to lifestyle
change
This is done to
ensure that
medications
taken with be
SAFE &
EFFECTIVE
6. Current state in
Bangladesh
Treatment of patients at Primary. Secondary
& tertiary levels
Drug prescribers (Doctor’s) are overloaded,
Have no time for patient counselling, advice
on how to take medication
Patients on not clear on how to use
medicines (when to take, how long to take,
what to do when missed etc)
7. Effect of lack of counselling
Patients on not clear on how to
use medicines (when to take,
how long to take, what to do
when missed etc.)This results in-
Therapeutic failure
Adverse events
Avoidable additional treatment &
cost
8. Effective
counselling
will result in
Better patient understanding of their illness
Role of medication in treating illness
Improved compliance/adherence
Reduced incidence of adverse events (AE)
Improved quality of life
Better strategy for patients to handle drug related AE
17. Communication
skills important
for effective
counselling Can be used to show empathy
Head, hand movements can be
used to signal empathy as well
Non-Verbal
Distance Eye contact Facial expression
Empathy: The ability to identify with or understand another's
situation or feelings
19. Preparing
for
counselling
session
• Success of session depends on Skill &
Knowledge of pharmacist
• Through review of patient medical history,
medication records
• Different sources can be used such as
Hospital records, community pharmacy drug
dispensing records
• Pharmacist needs to have a good
understanding of pathophysiology & drug
that are prescribed
• References such as “Drug Information
Reference” should be consulted before hand
20. Opening the
session
• At start of session, focus on information
gathering from patient
• Introduction from pharmacist, make the
patient comfortable
• Greetings followed by intro & state objective
of meeting
• Seek information from patient regarding his
medication, understanding of his disease
• Other supplementary information such as ;
previous allergies, past medications,
smoking, alcohol history etc.
21. Opening the
session How
to get
information
from
patient:
Open ended questions helpful.
Q on patient understanding of disease:
What symptoms are you experiencing ?
What did your doctor tell you about the disease ?
Q on patient understanding of his/her medication:
What did your doctor tell you about this medication ?
Reflective Questions also help
Did these tablets help you last time, did you feel better ?
22. Opening the
session
• Be aware of patient's mental state, does
he/she want to talk ??
• Try to empathize with patient, speak in a
reassuring tone
• Avoid being aggressive, personal, intrusive
questioning
• If the patient is getting aggressive, stop the
session
23. Counselling
content The
main part
(Heart) of
session
Pharmacist speaks about medication & lifestyle changes
Typical topics covered
Name/Strength of drug
How long, how to be taken
Expected benefits, time frame
Possible side effects
Possible interactions
What to do if missed dose
Special monitoring requirements
24. Counselling
content The
main part
(Heart) of
session
Pharmacist
speaks about
medication &
lifestyle
changes
Counselling
in simple
language
Medical
jargon
should be
avoided
In some
cases, the
advice given
to family
members
25. Closing the
session This
usually done
by asking
simple
questions
• Before ending, important to know patients
understanding of his medication
• This usually done by asking simple questions
Example: Which is the blood pressure drug,
how many will you take in a day , which one
after meal ?
26. First timers
Advisable to
listen to
sessions by
senior
pharmacists
Getting confidence for young
pharmacist is important before session
Advisable to listen to sessions by senior
pharmacists
Start with limited counselling sessions
Develop expertise in one area & then
move to other (Antibiotics etc.)
27. Prioritize
counselling
• Most of the time, pharmacist are too busy
• They need to prioritize which category of
patients to counsel
Typically, the focus groups are-
• Special medication group
• Complex medication (TB, HIV regimens)
• Specialized delivery drugs (Rotahalers)
• Elderly patients on many drugs
(polypharmacy)
• Special medication group_ narrow TI,
antibiotics etc.
28. Counselling
aids Develop
teaching,
educational
aids
• In addition to live counselling
• Good for follow up reading by patients
• Medication card : useful aid, has summary of
drugs
• Easy format, patient can understand
• Pharma companies draft “Consumer Product
Info”
• Pharmacist can also draft simple product
info