Introduction to patient counselling

Ms Chen will cover patient counselling in this step. She will explain the definition, benefits, and some of the technical details of patient counselling.

Key points

According to GPP, the pharmacist’s role includes providing patient counselling, aiding them with their decision-making process regarding a comprehensive care management plan.

A patient counseling session can be employed in a variety of settings:

• Hospital

• Ambulatory care

• Community pharmacy

• Telepharmacy

• Online

Patient counseling can help:

• Improve the quality of life and health-related outcomes.

• Better quality of care.

• Increase patients’ satisfaction.

Counseling must encompass the necessary information. The 10-step procedure is also a good guideline for patient counselling.

Communication skills are fundamental in providing excellent patient-centered care. Essential communication skills include:

• Active listening

• Empathy

• Building good rapport

• Good mix of open and closed-ended questions

Share and learn:

Do pharmacists in your hospital carry out patient counselling? Are other medical professionals involved?

In which settings does your hospital implement patient counselling?