Communication Skills in Pharmacy Practice
By Hesham Shazly, PhD Sunday, Nov. 17th Semester one BUE
Chapter 10
Strategies to Meet Specific Needs
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Introduction Older Adults Patients with Disabilities Patients with Sexually Communicated Infections Patients with Mental Health Problems Patients with Low Health Literacy Cultural Competence Caregivers
1. Introduction
Communication in pharmacy practice is not always easy. Because in some situation you have to deal with:
Older adults / elderly/ geriatrics Persons with hearing, sight, or speech impairments Patients with disabilities Terminally ill patients Patients with sexually communicated infections, (HIV/AIDS) Patients with mental health problems Patients with limited health literacy Patients from different cultural backgrounds Caregivers.
One approach might work with one patient, but not others, so you need to have a variety of strategies in mind and this is a unique communication challenges
2. Older adults / elderly/ geriatrics
The number of older adults is increasing, and they consume a disproportionate amount of prescription medications when compared with other age groups. Two out of three persons in this age group take at least one medication daily. Thus, this growing segment of the population is in need of your patient counseling services.
2. Older adults / elderly/ geriatrics
LEARNING:
The aging affects the learning process, but not the ability to learn. Geriatrics learn at a slower rate than youngers. They process information at slower rate. The rate of speech and the amount of information presented at one time must meet the individuals ability. The short-term memory, recall, and attention are diminished in elderly patients.
2. Older adults / elderly/ geriatrics
LEARNING:
The ability to process new and innovative solutions might be slower in some older adults. Thus, changing behaviors should be structured gradually and should build on past experiences. A good approach with orders is to set reasonable short-term goals and break down tasks into smaller components. Encourage by asking them to summarize instructions and other information and you have to watch their nonverbal responses. When given the opportunity to learn at their own speed, most elderly people can learn as well as younger adults.
2. Older adults / elderly/ geriatrics
DIFFERENCES IN PERSPECTIVES:
Communication barriers between you and older patients may be due to the generation gap. Older adults perceive things differently from the younger age groups; since people adhere to values learned and accepted in their younger years. Older adults have different beliefs about drugs and pharmacists, such as sharing medication (may seem inappropriate to you) but such actions make sense to someone who grew up during the Depression or World War II.
2. Older adults / elderly/ geriatrics
DIFFERENCES IN PERSPECTIVES:
Some older adults grew up respecting the authority of physicians and pharmacists and prefer a more directed approach. Thus, they may be receptive to be told what to do. On the other hand, many patients want to be more independent and want more input into the medication decision-making process.
SENSE OF LOSS:
Some older adults may be experiencing a significant amount of loss compared with other age groups. Some experiencing, death of their friends at an increased rate. They may have retired from their jobs. They slowing down or ceasing certain activities due to aging.
2. Older adults / elderly/ geriatrics
VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS:
You need to realize that the aging may affect the visual process. Written messages should be in large print. In some older patients, more light is needed.
HEARING LOSS:
The aging affect hearing in more than 50% of all older adults. It is also important to slow your rate of speech. Do not shout when speaking, but talk with higher volume. Never speak directly into the patients ear because this distort the message.
2. Older adults / elderly/ geriatrics
SPEECH:
Some elderly might have slight or significant speech impairments. Diseases such as Parkinsons disease, multiple sclerosis, and strokes can cause lack of ability to speak correctly. You must be sensitive to these patients, since they sound different. To overcome speech barriers, many patients write notes to their pharmacist or use sign language as a means of communicating. Some pharmacists have responded to this need by providing writing pads
3. Patients with Disabilities
The key is to be sensitive to their unique needs. Disabled individuals would say, Dont treat me as a disability, treat me as an individual with a disability; treat me as an individual first. You may need to interact with caregiver rather than the patient.
WHEELCHAIR-BOUND PATIENTS:
Entrances is not wide enough, counters are too high, and pharmacists may not be visible to wheelchair patients. Patients appreciate any efforts to minimize the distance between you and them. You should watch patients nonverbal messages.
3. Patients with Disabilities
HOMEBOUND PATIENTS:
The key to communicating with homebound patients is to work with patients caregivers to verify that information is transmitted correctly and appropriately. Clear, concise written information is essential in these situations. It is critical to review this information with the caregiver to make sure key points are highlighted and discussed with the patient. Many home-bound patients can use the Internet and you may be able to communicate with them via e-mail or social networks.
4. Patients with Sexually Communicated Infections
Sensitive health issues related to sexually communicated infections such as HIV or gonorrhea. The key is to identify what the patients needs are and what services you can provide. In many cases, dealing with HIV or AIDS has physical components (i.e., weight loss, lack of energy), but also psychological and sociological aspects (i.e., becoming more dependent on others, fear of dying). You must keep up with the latest literature, since many patients monitor what is being researched and publicized.
5. Patients with Mental Health Problems
People in general, as well as many pharmacists, have certain misconceptions about mental illness. We tend to categorize people based on images from the media or beliefs we have formed about how crazy people act. Some are chronic cigarette smokers have poor hygienic habits. They may not establish good eye contact, which may make us even more uncomfortable. Patients may be paranoid about dealing with other people, especially health care professionals.
5. Patients with Mental Health Problems
Asking open-ended questions also helps you determine patient cognitive functioning. Pharmacists interacting with patients with mental disorders must address a more fundamental ethical issue. In many situations, trusting relationships developed among patients and pharmacists can be a key in patients care management. Differences should not stop you from trying to interact with these patients. However, the potential communication problems may require you to be innovative in developing strategies to overcome them.
6. Patients with Low Health Literacy
Low health literacy is problem that hinders the ability of many patients to understand information about their medications. Persons with limited ability to read are embarrassed and fail to disclose this fact to health care providers. If patients cannot understand the material, they are in danger of medication errors occurrence.
7. Cultural Competence
Some differences related to culture and ethnic background. Thus, you must have sensitivity to the cultural differences in your diverse patient environment. Developing your cultural competence and enhancing your ability to work with patients from diverse backgrounds. The best strategy is to ask open-ended questions to determine what exactly patients feel about certain elements within their health care.
8. Caregivers
Caregivers can be people who take care of older adults, parents who take care of children, family members, friends, or hired assistants. In general, caregivers will increase in the future, since there has been an increased effort to shift patient care from hospitals to home care. Dealing with caregivers requires specific strategies. Caregivers need to understand the patients condition and treatment. Caregivers must understand how to monitor patient therapeutic response.
8. Caregivers
Caregivers must know how to monitor for adverse events, and how to report any suspicious events. Caregivers should be encouraged to contact you if they have questions or the patient has questions. Written information about the medication is essential, since the message should be delivered to patients. You should respond empathetically to caregivers. You should be aware of the caregivers nonverbal messages and must not be afraid to ask, What is on your mind? Caregivers have so much stress in their daily lives that it is often difficult for them to express needs related to their own well-being.