3 Barriers to Effective Patient Counseling in the Community Pharmacy Setting By: Leeandrea Jones, Pharm.D. Candidate 2021
The profession of pharmacy is in the midst of significant transitions. It is possible that, over the next few years, the traditional community pharmacist will become extinct due to numerous factors. The growth of internet pharmacies, along with advances in technology, poses possible threats to the profession. With the large use Leeandrea Jones of technology in pharmacies, including electronic patient profiles, electronic pill counters, robotic prescription filling and more, one may question the need for pharmacists today. The answer to that question is simple. Although technological advances aid pharmacists in numerous ways and provide many benefits to the profession, it simply cannot replace the personalized relationship and trust that is built between a pharmacist and patient during a face-to-face consultation. Throughout my didactic portion of pharmacy school, the importance of patient counseling was drilled into the heads of my classmates and I. We are trained to understand and know that this is one of the most important duties of a pharmacist. What good is it to dispense the appropriate inhaler to manage a patient’s asthma if he or she is unclear on how 14
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FLORIDA PHARMACY TODAY
to use it correctly, right? Pharmacists have the ability to directly affect patient health outcomes by providing education on medication and encouraging compliance to therapy. This process not only helps avoid medication errors but also improves health outcomes and the patient satisfaction. During my introductory pharmacy practice experiences and advanced pharmacy practice experiences community rotations, I was surprised to observe how difficult it was for pharmacists to provide quality medication counseling to patients. I had been informed that the community pharmacy setting was extremely fast paced and busy, but did not come to terms with what that truly meant until I was in the midst of what felt like organized chaos. There are numerous barriers that prevent pharmacists from providing quality patient counseling, some more difficult to overcome than others. The following three barriers pose as potential challenges, but can provide great satisfaction if overcame. Embarrassed Patients When it comes to managing a patient’s health, there are numerous reasons a patient may feel embarrassed. Whether it is a young woman receiving medication for a sexually transmitted disease, an elderly man receiving medication for erec-
