Drug Dispensing and Counselling: Challenges and Practices in Patient-Pharmacist Communication

Abstract

The role of communication in healthcare is crucial, particularly when dealing with patients. Effective communication ensures that healthcare personnel can approach and deliver information to patients with the aim of improving their medical conditions. This study aimed to explore the practices and challenges encountered in patient-pharmacist communication and factors affecting it among pharmacists and Provisional Registered Pharmacists (PRPs) in a public hospital in Malaysia. A cross-sectional study was conducted, and a self-administered questionnaire was distributed to the pharmacists and PRPs working in various pharmacy departments in a district hospital in Peninsula Malaysia. The questionnaire consists of demographic information, challenges faced during patient-pharmacist communication, types of resources used to overcome communication barriers, communication difficulties and their communication practices. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data. The study found that most of the participants were young adults (21-30 years old), Malay, and held a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy. Most of them worked in the outpatient department and had between 2 to 5 years of work experience. The self-rated communication skills of most of the participants were good, and the majority expressed interest in attending communication-related workshops, seminars, or training. However, the study also identified some limitations, including language barriers and communication difficulties faced by the pharmacists and PRPs when dealing with patients with communication disabilities. Effective communication between pharmacists and patients is essential for providing pharmaceutical care and improving medication adherence. Therefore, efforts should be made to enhance communication skills among pharmacists and PRPs, including organizing more communication-related workshops, seminars, or training. Furthermore, addressing language barriers and communication difficulties in dealing with patients with communication disabilities is crucial. Overall, this study highlights the need to improve patient-pharmacist communication and identifies some of the challenges and opportunities to achieve this goal.