There is, however, room for improving pharmacists’ communication skills. These develop through complex interactions during undergraduate pharmacy education, practice-based learning and continuing professional development. Research is needed to determine how best to approach teaching patient-pharmacist communication.
While a survey from Europe including 11 Nordic pharmacy schools showed that training in patient communication skills is still limited and that there is a need to restructure communication skills training to help future pharmacists provide effective patient care [ 39 ].
Community pharmacists communicate in writing to patients and other healthcare providers in a variety of ways. Establishing routine writing tasks for the student to complete during a rotation helps him/her to develop written communication skills.
Binghamton, NY: Pharmaceutical Products Press; 1994. Essential Interpersonal skills for pharmacy practice: communication in counseling and conflict contexts. [ Google Scholar] 26. Westberg J, Jason H. New York: Springer-Verlag; 1993. Collaborative clinical education: the foundation of effective health care. [ Google Scholar] 27.