Pharmacy medicines counselling patients

Non-preparing pharmacies with the ability to perform non-sterile reconstitution, and to counsel patients and carers on this process as weU on the right way to handle their medicines... 

In addition to information being supplied to the patient in a printed format (i.e. via the medicine s label and via the patient information leaflet), information is often needed in the form of verbal instructions and demonstration. It is sometimes the role of the pharmacist or pharmacy technician to verbally counsel the patient or the patient s carer and demonstrate the use of the medication. It is therefore vital that pharmacists and pharmacy technicians develop effective communication skills. 

When patients are counselled verbally their understanding at the time of the explanation can be checked, but the length of time the information is retained can vary from patient to patient. In the pharmacy we provide two forms of written communication to patients the labels on dispensed medicines and the patient information leaflets contained in both prescribed medicines and over-the-counter sales. The labels should clearly convey the instructions from the prescriber to the patient and have been covered in earlier chapters of this book (see Section 3.3.5 for NHS community prescriptions, Section 4.3.4 for NHS hospital prescriptions and Section 5.1.4... 

That joint teaching occur in medicine and pharmacy on patient-oriented services, including therapeutics, monitoring techniques, and patient counseling. 

Product care and patient care are the essential functions of the pharmacist at the end of the supply chain where the pharmacist meets the patient. Product care is associated with procuring (availability), storage and dispensing, including instruction of the patient of medicinal products as well as with preparation if necessary. Patient care may include counselling on the choice of medication regimens, a key part of basic academic pharmaceutical education. It may also be associated with properties of medicinal products such as efficacy and safety or lack of safety and lack of efficacy. Healthcare professionals and patients are then the first to complain about the services delivered by the pharmacy. 

One of the aims of pharmacy practice is to help patients to make the best use of their medicines. This means that patients should not only get therapeutic information by counselling but also the practical instructions and advice that they need in the actual use of their medicines. 

The need for (extra) help and counselling by the pharmacy depends not only on the type of medicine, but also on the cultural, educational, linguistic and medical condition(s) of the patient. 

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