Communication Skills

Question 1

Why are communication skills important in
hospitals?
community?
pharmaceutical industry?

Answer 1

hospitals
- appraising, informing and educating patients and other staff

community

• dispensing, counselling, motivating, patients
• responding to symptoms, advising patients

pharmaceutical industry
- advising on regulatory issues, marketing and managing

Question 2

Why are communication skills important for pharmacist?

Answer 2

all pharmacists should be able to explain medicines-based health care to other health professionals in their own specialised language and be able to express complex issues to members of the public in terms that lay/normal people can understand

Question 3

What are assumptions of people based on initially?

Answer 3

appearance
behaviour
speech

Question 4

What common mistakes healthcare professionals make when first meeting a patient?

Answer 4

not greeting patients
failure to find out how the patient feels about their condition
accepting vague information too easily and not probing for more specific details
failure verify what the patient really meant
failure to encourage patient questions
failure to be responsive to patient questions
poor reassurance
using too many closed ended questions

Question 5

What is communication made up of? What is the percentages for each?

Answer 5

body language - 50%
tone of voice - 40%
words - 10%

Question 6

What is para-verbal communication?

Answer 6

based on how you speak

tone
pitch
volume
speed

Question 7

What is non-verbal communication?

Answer 7

how you communicate without speaking

gestures 
facial expressions
eye contact 
physical contact 
body posture
interpersonal distance

Question 8

What is rapport/empathy? How do you build rapport with a patient?

Answer 8

The ability to enter into the life of other people and to accurately understand both their meaning and feelings

be aware of your appearance and body language
use greetings
get to know names and use them
address patients appropriately
communicate willingness to listen 
express respect for patients’ feelings
respond and reassure
assure confidentiality

Question 9

How can questions be asked? What is the preferred method?

Answer 9

open and closed questions

closed questions
- only allow for yes or no answers

open questions
- allow for explanations/descriptions

Question 10

What is the difference between counselling, advising and instructing?

Answer 10

counselling

• to give advice to clarify a situation and empower the patient
• giving opinion or instruction in directing the judgement or conduct of another (own decisions)

advice

• transfer information and advice (offered or requested)
• offer an opinion or suggestion in two-way process

instruct

• to furnish with knowledge, orders or directions
• two-way process inviting feedback from patient

Question 11

What are barriers to communication in the workplace?

Answer 11

lack of privacy
noise
physical barriers