Patient
counseling
Content
• Objectives
of patient counseling
• Steps
involved in patient counseling
• Barriers
of patient counseling
Objective
After completion of this lecture, student will be able
to:
• Explain
the objectives of patient counseling
• Describe
the steps involved in patient counseling
• Explain
the barriers of patient counseling
Patient
counseling
Definition
• Patient
counseling is defined as providing medication information orally or in written
form to the patients or their representatives on directions of use, advice on
side effects, precautions, storage, diet and life style modifications
Objectives of patient counseling
1. Patient should recognize the importance of medication for
his well being
2. A working relationship and a foundation for continuous
interaction and consultation should be established
3. Patient’s understanding of strategies to deal with
medication side effects and drug interactions should be improved
4. Should ensure better patient compliance
5. Patient becomes an informed, efficient and active
participant in disease treatment and self-care management
6. The pharmacist should be perceived as a professional who
offers pharmaceutical care
7. Drug interactions and adverse drug reactions should be
prevented
Functions of patient counseling
Effective patients counseling aims to produce the following
results:
• Better
patients understanding of their illness and the role of medication in its
treatment
• Improved
medication adherence
• More
effective drug treatment
• Reduced
incidence of adverse effects and unnecessary healthcare costs
Counseling Area
• The
patient should be counseled in : -semi-private or Private area
• Away
from other people and distractions, depending on the medication(s)
• The
patient should perceive the counseling area as
-confidential
-secure
-conducive to learning
• This
helps ensure both parties are focused on the discussion, and minimizes interruptions and distractions
Communication skills for effective counseling:
The counseling process uses verbal and non-verbal
communication skills
Verbal communication skills are:-
-Language
-Tone
-Volume
-Speed
Non-verbal communication skills are:-
-Proximity
-Facial Expression
-Eye Contact
-Body Language
Steps during Patient Counseling
• Counseling
is a two-way communication process
• Interaction
between the patient and the pharmacist is essential for counseling to be
effective
• The
following are the steps to be followed during patient counseling
1) Preparing for the session
2) Opening of the session
3) Counseling content
4) Closing the session
Process Steps
1) Establish caring relationships with patients as
appropriate to the practice setting and stage in the patient’s health care
management
• Introduce
yourself as a pharmacist, explain the purpose and expected length of the
sessions, and obtain the patient’s agreement to participate
• Determine
the patient’s primary spoken language
2) Assess the patient’s knowledge about:
• His
or her health problems and medications
• Physical
and mental capability to use the medications appropriately
• Attitude
toward the health problems and medications
• Ask
open ended questions about each medication’s purpose and what the patient
expects,
• Ask the patient to describe or show how he or
she will use the medication
• They
should also be asked to describe any problems, concerns, or uncertainties they
are experiencing with their medications
3) Provide information orally and use visual aids or
demonstrations to fill patients’ gaps in knowledge and understanding
• Open
the medication containers to show patients the colors, sizes, shapes, and
markings on oral solids
• For oral liquids and injectable, show patients
the dosage marks on measuring devices
• Demonstrate
the assembly and use of administration devices such as nasal and oral inhalers
• As
a supplement to face-to-face oral communication, provide written handouts to
help the patient recall the information
4) If a patient is experiencing problems with his or
her medications, gather appropriate data and assess the problems
• Then
adjust the pharmacotherapeutic regimens according to protocols or notify the
prescribers
5) Verify patients’ knowledge and understanding of
medication use
• Ask
patients to describe or show how they will use their medications and identify
their effects
• Observe
patients’ medication-use capability and accuracy and attitudes toward following
their pharmacotherapeutic regimens and monitoring plans
Counseling content
The counseling content is considered to be the heart of the
counseling session. During this step the pharmacist explains to the patient:
• About
his or her medications
• Treatment
regimen
• Lifestyle
changes such as diet or exercise may also be discussed
Topics commonly covered include:
• Name
and strength of the medication
• Reason
why it has been prescribed or how it works
• How
to take the medication
• Expected
duration of treatment
• Expected
benefits of treatment
• Possible
adverse effects
• Possible
medication or dietary interaction
• Advice
on correct storage
• Minimum
time duration required to show therapeutic benefit
• What
to do if a dose is missed
• Special
monitoring requirements, e.g blood tests
• Arrangements
for obtaining further supplies
Barriers to effective communication
Barriers to effective communication include…
• Physical
• Psychological
• Administrative
or
• Time
conflict
Physical Barriers
Environmental barrier
• Environmental
barrier such as lack of privacy and furniture between patient and pharmacist
which prevent effective communication
• It
is come under physical barrier
Psychological barrier
Semantics: relate to meanings of words and symbols
used in interpersonal communication
• Words
only contain meaning in terms of people’s reactions to them
• Words
can also have multiple meanings
• Therefore,
effective patient communication requires the use of words that are carefully
chosen
• Semantics is an example of a psychological
barrier
• Negative
attitude:
– It is usually cased by lack of
confidence
-Pharmacist should strive to improve
their talking skill through practice
Administrative barrier
• Administrative
barriers such as management may view the lack of money compensated for
communication as a reason not to communicate
• More money is made by prescribing medication,
not caring for patients
Time barrier
• Time
barriers are interlinked with administrative barriers because management is
responsible for staffing levels as well as allocation of work duties
• Time
limits are very common when it comes to pharmacists and patients
• Time
restraints are often excuses not to counsel, though it often does not take very
long
Summary
• Patient
counseling is defined as providing medication information orally or in written
form to the patients
• Verbal
communication skills
Steps to be followed during patient counseling
1) Preparing for the session
2) Opening of the session
3) Counseling content
4) Closing the session
• Barriers
of counseling session
• Physical
• Psychological
• Administrative
or
• Time
conflict
