Pilot Study on Communication between Pharmacists and Cancer Patients in Community Pharmacies

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  • 調剤薬局におけるがん患者と薬剤師のコミュニケーションに関するパイロット研究

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Pharmacists working in community pharmacies must provide consultation to cancer patients in order to ensure the safety of medical care. However, they only have access to patients' prescription information and cannot check whether patients have given informed consent or not. In this empirical study, we analyzed the current status of communication between cancer patients and community pharmacists. A total of 11 pharmacists in Aichi prefecture agreed to participate. They were interviewed and informed about the oral medication for a simulated cancer patient. The conversations during interviews were analyzed using the Roter Method of Interaction Process Analysis System (RIAS). We also picked out phrases that were deemed unsuitable for communication with patients as an indicator of whether there were any problems in the approach of pharmacists to patients.<br>Our findings were as follows: 1) Even though pharmacists focused on having a good relationship with cancer patients when explaining medications, patient-centered communication was not achieved because patients only listened passively to the explanations; 2) community pharmacists had difficulty in fulfilling their role as a partner in medical care because they were generally unable to gain information on the cancer patient's disease, treatment or psychological state; 3) On average, pharmacists obtained 50.7% of the information on the patient's problems and in some cases, they lacked the communication skills necessary for obtaining information on patient backgrounds or used unsuitable phrases when speaking to them; 4) Pharmacies do not appear to be an appropriate environment for informing patients concerning their medications.<br>It is therefore necessary to develop a training program that will improve pharmacists'skills in communicating with cancer patients.

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