The document outlines effective communication strategies for pharmacists working with patients who have specific needs, including older adults, patients with disabilities, terminally ill patients, those with mental health issues, and suicidal individuals. It emphasizes the importance of empathy, open-ended questions, and ensuring appropriate communication methods are used, such as large print for the visually impaired and maintaining eye-level contact with wheelchair-bound patients. Overall, the key takeaway is that pharmacists should treat all patients as individuals and adapt their communication techniques based on the unique challenges faced by these populations.

1. COMMUNICATION
SKILLS FOR THE
PHARMACIST

2. Strategies for patients with specific needs
• Applying communication skills to pharmacy practice situations is not always easy. It
can be especially difficult in situations in which patients have special communication
needs. These situations require special sensitivities and unique strategies to ensure
effective communication.
• These situations include dealing with:
1-older adults (persons with hearing, sight, learning problems and chronic diseases)
2-patients with disabilities
3-Terminally ill patients (Cancer, HIV,…….)
4-patients with mental health problems
5-Suicidal patients

3. 1-older adults
• The number of elderly in our society is increasing, and the elderly consume a large amount
of prescription and nonprescription medications compared with other age groups. Elderly
men and women present special opportunities for pharmacists because they account for
30% of all prescription medication taken.
• The aging process sometimes affects certain elements of the communication process in
some older adults, and they may have chronic disease, so in all conditions you have to use
open-ended question strategy and provide caring, empathic and motivational feedback
• Problems related to older patients are in:
A-Learning
B-Vision
C-Hearing

4. • In certain individuals, the aging process affects the learning process, but not the ability
to learn. Some older adults learn at a slower rate than younger persons. Thus, the rate of
speech and the amount of information presented at one time must meet the individual’s
ability. In addition, short term memory, recall, and attention span may be diminished in
some elderly patients.
• A good approach with some older adults is to set reasonable short-term goals rather
than long-term goals and break down learning tasks into smaller components. Another
important step is to encourage feedback from patients as to whether they received your
intended message by asking them to repeat instructions and other information.
• When given the opportunity to learn at their own speed, most elderly people can learn
as well as younger adult
A-Learning

5. B-Vision (Sight)
• Pharmacists and their staffs work with patients with visual impairments, they must Be
prepared to offer alternative forms of patient counseling to deal with these impairments.
• Written messages for persons with visual deficiencies should be in large print and on
pastel-colored paper rather than on white paper.
• In some older patients, more light is needed to stimulate the receptors in the eye. Thus,
when using written information, make sure you have enough light.

6. C-Hearing
• Aging may also affect the hearing process. Many older adults describe their hearing
impairment as being able to hear what others are saying, but not being able to understand
what is being said.
• To improve communication with hearing-impaired patients, try to position yourself about 3
to 6 feet away; never speak directly into the patient’s ear because this may distort the
message. Wait until the patient can see you before speaking; position yourself on the side
of the patient’s strongest ear; if necessary, touch the patient on the arm. If your message
does not appear to be getting through, you should not keep repeating the same statement,
but rephrase it into shorter, simpler sentences.
• Many pharmacists and their staffs have learned sign language to assist hearing-impaired
patients.

7. • The disability may severely affect their ability to access care and communicate with you. The
key is to be empathic to their unique needs. As many disabled individuals would say, “don’t
treat me as a disability, treat me as an individual with a disability; in other words, treat me
as an individual first.” Using common sense and being sensitive to individual needs would
be good practices to follow.
A-Wheel chair bound patients
• Unfortunately, many pharmacy practice settings, including hospital, clinic, and community
sites, are not readily accessible to these individuals. Entrances are often not wide enough,
counters are too high, and pharmacists may not be visible to wheel chair bound patients.
• When talking with patients in wheelchairs, it is important to realize that you may be talking
down to them, it is best to talk on the same eye level. Patients appreciate any efforts to
minimize the distance between you and them without causing increased attention to the
fact that they are in a wheel-chair.
2-Patients with disabilities

8. B-Homebound PATIENTS
• The key to communicating with homebound patients is to work with patients’ caregivers
when they visit the pharmacy to verify that information is transmitted correctly and used
appropriately. Clear, concise written information is essential in these situations.
Communication over the phone or Internet may also be possible. Many homebound
patients can use the Internet and thus you may be able to communicate with them via e-
mail. You can also recommend links to appropriate websites for relevant information for
the patient. It is very rare that pharmacists visit homebound patients, but patients and
their caregivers certainly appreciate these visits.

9. • Not only are these patients dealing with potentially life-threatening diseases, they are
also dealing with the social pressure that often accompany their condition. The key is not
to treat them as being “different” from your other patients.
• Most individuals, including pharmacists, find it somewhat difficult to interact with
terminally ill patients. People typically feel uncomfortable discussing the topic of death
and are uncertain about what to say. Yet most terminally ill patients need supportive
relationships from family members, friends, and pharmacists.
• The key for communication is to ask open-ended questions, such as “How are you doing
today?” or “How are things going?” to determine patient willingness to discuss the
situation with you. You should not assume that patients do not want to talk about it. Even
if patients do not respond initially, they at least realize that you are willing to talk and may
open up at a later time.
3-Terminally ill patients (Cancer, HIV,…….)

10. • You should realize that you can handle some situations yourself, whereas other cases
should be referred to others (Certain physician). Many pharmacists have found that just
being honest about their feelings improves their interaction with terminally ill patients and
gives them a chance to share their concerns as well. Just by saying “I don’t know what to
say right now. Tell me how I can help you?” or “I feel so helpless. Is there anything I can
do for you?”.

11. • Many pharmacists admit that they have difficulty in communicating with patients with
mental health disorders. Some pharmacists feel that they do not know what to say to
mental health patients. They are afraid to say the wrong thing or something that might
cause an emotional outburst by the patient.
• Once again, open-ended questions are good tools to use to determine the level of patient
understanding before you counsel them about their medications. Examples include “What
has the doctor told you about this medication?” or “This drug can be used for different
things. What has your physician said?” Asking open-ended questions also helps you
determine patient cognitive functioning.
4-patients with mental health problems
(Depression, Epilepsy, Parkinsonism, Alzheimer’s,……)

12. • Patients with mental illness may realize that they have a condition that makes other people
uncomfortable. Thus, this societal stigma about mental illness makes them avoid social
interactions. In some cases, patients may be paranoid about dealing with other people,
especially health care professionals. Thus, your trials to communicate may find initial
patient resistance. Patients with mental illness typically need multiple contacts to establish
trusting relationships, and also pharmacists must respect patient’s psychological status and
needs.

13. • A patient who is being treated with hydrocodone for chronic back pain resulting from a
previous injury asks you “What would be the fatal dose of this drug?” What would go
through your mind? What would you say?
• When faced with someone you think may be suicidal, you must have the courage to
talk about your concerns. Say to the patient who asks about the lethal dose of
hydrocodone “I’m concerned about the reason behind the question. Are you thinking
about killing yourself?” If the question is a cry for help, you have provided the
opening for the patient to admit to needing help. Stay calm. Listen with empathy.
Express your caring for the patient and your desire to help. Don’t discuss your own
values or moral objections to suicide. Have someone stay with the individual until he
is under professional care.
• If you are not sure about what help is available, call the crisis intervention or suicide
prevention help lines.
5-Suicidal patients

14. Thank you …..