Interpersonal communication in pharmacy.ppt

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Interpersonal Skills
Dr. Fatma A. M. Abdel-aal
Lecture 1

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Interactions with People
 Interpersonal skills are the
abilities used to communicate and
interact with others.
 Vital to a job as a pharmacy
technician
 Important as well as for overall
personal and professional success

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 Interpersonal skills are:
 “working well with others skills”
 “soft technical skills” - questioning, listening,
teamwork, initiative, verbal communication

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 Customers will often ask questions. So it is
necessary to be genuine, to know how to listen,
and to ask questions for clarification.
 Professionalism and respect
should be used in all
communication and every
interaction.

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 Being able to comprehend (understand) verbal
and written information is essential for success.
 Reading skills and knowledge of medical
terminology are needed.

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 Counter greetings should be friendly and polite.
The pharmacy technician must be ready to ask a
question and to listen to the customer response.
 “My name is _____. What can I do to assist you?”
 “Welcome to _____. What brings you in this
morning/afternoon/evening?”

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 Questioning skills involve inquiring without the
use of “yes” and “no” questions.
 The pharmacy technician may ask questions and
take notes to relay to a pharmacist to save time.
 “What other medications are you taking?”
 “What are you eating or drinking when you take
this medication?”

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 A pharmacy technician must determine if the
prescription is new.
 A pharmacist will be required
to speak to the customer if it is
a new prescription.
 It is essential to point out the details in the drug
information sheet (given to the customer) that
covers how to take the medication, interactions,
signs of allergic reactions, and more.

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 For more specific questions, the
pharmacy technician may ask
the pharmacist to print out
additional information from the
drug database and discuss
concerns with the customer.

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Prescription Information
 If the medicine must be refrigerated, the
customer needs to be told.
 If the customer should not drink milk or ingest
other food and/or beverages within a certain time
frame, he or she must be informed.
 If the prescription should be consumed within a
certain number of days, the customer must
receive this information.

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Vaccination Information
 The customer should be
 asked when he or she last received the particular
vaccination and how he or she responded to it.
 asked if he or she has any known allergies.
 informed of certain side effects of the vaccination,
such as a raised or sore area on the skin or a slight
fever. This information may be on the form the
customer is required to sign.

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Insurance Information
 The pharmacy technician tasks:
 Ask the customer if he or she has a current health
insurance card if needed
 Ensure the contact information is current.
 If it is not current, the pharmacy technician or the
customer will have to call the insurer to address
this situation.

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Dosage Information
 Dosage information is generally discussed in an
interaction between a pharmacist and a customer
when a new prescription has been issued.
 The number of pills or tablespoons, etc., of the
medicine a customer needs to take and how often
 How long the medicine will be taken
(one week or one month)
 If it is to be taken orally or by other means

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Side Effects Information
 Side effects are listed in the material given to the
customer. However, it may be necessary to
mention them to certain customers.
 If he or she cannot safely drive or operate
machinery while taking the prescribed medication.
 Possible hearing, vision, taste, and other issues
that may occur
 Signs of a problem (e.g., rash or vomiting) should
be discussed when asked

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Coworkers
 Teamwork: Coworkers must work together to
serve customers, collaboration and cooperation
are essential.
 Honesty: Coworkers must be honest and open
with one another, discussing problems one on one
 Respect: Everyone wants to be respected.
Respect is a feeling or understanding that
someone is important and should be treated
appropriately.

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Other Special Situations
 Communication with deaf customers can be
handled with special precautions.
 Communication with customers who do not speak
your language may require an interpreter.
 Phone interpreting is available 24 hours a day and
7 days a week to assist pharmacists in all time
zones with interpretation needs.

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 A customer may want to know in advance the
cost of a prescription after the insurance
deduction, as the person may not be able to
purchase the medication if it is too much.
 The pharmacy technician can run the insurance
and notify the customer of this information.

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 A customer may want more than a 30-day supply
of a prescription because of travel plans.
 The pharmacy technician must explain that some
medicines can be prescribed in 90-day supplies to
save customers money.
 This is not possible with every prescription.

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 A customer may want to know
how payment will impact the
deductible for his or her
insurance.
 The pharmacy technician can
politely explain the customer
could contact the number on his
or her insurance card.

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 When dealing with a dosage (an amount of
medicine that should be taken at one time or
regularly during a given period), a pharmacy
technician should listen carefully and restate the
question being asked.
 When the answer is received and delivered, it may
be well to have the customer restate the information
to confirm comprehension (understanding).
Prescription Administration

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 Missed dose: A customer may want to know if he
or she needs to take two pills, for instance,
because a dose was missed.
 The pharmacy technician
must consult with the
pharmacist before answering
the customer.

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 Interactions: A customer may want to know if he
or she has to avoid certain foods or beverages
while taking the medication.
 The pharmacy technician can indicate that the
information is in the material provided with the
prescription.

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 Change in appearance of medication: A customer
may need to know why the medicine looks
different.
 Sometimes the color is slightly different when a
different manufacturer is used.
 The pharmacist is the professional qualified to
answer this question.

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1. The sender is the person who transmits a
message to another person.
2. The message is the element transmitted
(e.g., information, idea, thought, or feeling).
3. The receiver is the person being addressed, and
he or she receives the message from the sender.
Five Elements of
Interpersonal Communication

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4. Feedback is the process by which the sender
of the message receives information from the
receiver in the form of facial expressions or other
nonverbal cues or via verbal means.
 In pharmacy interactions, feedback should be verbal.
 Nonverbal feedback should not be trusted.
 Questions should be asked to verify understanding of
the information.
Five Elements of

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5. Barriers are interruptions to the message being
sent and may include noise (e.g., a fan) as well
as perceptions.
 Preconceived notions (personal beliefs or
judgments not based on proof) can also interfere
with the receipt of messages.
Five Elements of

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 Other barriers may include:
 Lack of sleep
 Drug use
 Low IQ
 Language issues
 Discrimination (e.g., gender or race)
 Hearing deficiency
 Dementia
 Terminology (layperson terms should be used)
Five Elements of

Interpersonal communication in pharmacy.ppt

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