wwwwwwwPRINCIPLES OF Interpersonal communication

COMMUNICATION
- The successful transfer of a message and meaning from one person or group to another handling
different types of clients
 “meaning”
- For transfer to be successful, both parties in the communication process (sender and
the receiver) must agree on the ‘meaning’ of what is being communicated

 To be an effective communicator:
- Possible physical limitations
- Cultural differences

INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION PROCESS

- the interaction between two individuals

- a specific form of communication where messages are generated and transmitted by one person
and subsequently received and translated by another.

Components:
1. THE SENDER
- The sender transmits a message to another person.
2. THE MESSAGE
- The message is the element that is transmitted from one person to another.
- It can be thoughts, ideas, emotions, information, or other factors and can be transmitted
both verbally (by talking) and nonverbally (by using facial expressions, hand gestures, and
so on).
3. THE RECEIVER
- The receiver receives the message from the sender
- As the receiver, you “decode” the message and assign a particular meaning to it, which may
or may not be the sender’s intended meaning.
- In receiving and translating the message, you probably considered both the verbal and
nonverbal components of the message.
4. FEEDBACK
- The process whereby receivers communicate back to senders their understanding of the
senders’ message.
  In most situations, receivers do not passively absorb messages; they respond to them
with their own verbal and nonverbal messages.
- Receiver uses verbal and nonverbal communication to the sender about how the message
was translated.
5. BARRIERS
- Affect the accuracy of the communication exchange
- May lead to distortion of messages and misunderstandings
A. PHARMACIST-RELATED PERSONAL BARRIERS
- removal of these barriers involves personal introspection and analysis of one’s
motivation and desire to communicate.
- Examples:
 personal shyness
o Individuals who have a high level of anxiety associated with
communication with others
o Overcoming this barrier requires time and effort and, many times,
professional assistance
 the internal conversation you may have within yourself while talking with others.
o while you are listening to someone, you may be thinking to yourself about
how you want to deal with this situation
 emotional objectivity
o Many patients whom you will serve have multiple, complex problems, and
you may be enticed to help them resolve emotional as well as physical
issues
o You should remain empathetic towards your patients, but not get so
involved that you carry their emotional burdens as well.
o It is probably more appropriate to refer patients to professionals who can
assist them with these issues.
 Culturally based factors
o In some cultures it is not proper to engage in eye contact during
communication. Such behavior would be labeled as disrespectful; while in
other cultures, direct eye contact is appropriate and is almost required
o Other barriers related to culture include:
 Definitions of illness (some patients may not perceive themselves to be
ill),
 Perceptions of what to do when ill (some cultures stress self-reliance
rather than seeking help),
 Health-related habits or customs (eating habits),
 Health-seeking behavior (some cultures place more reliance on folk
medicine), or
 Perceptions of health care providers (based on possible distrust of the
health care system or past negative experiences).
 situations where you may not be completely sure how to respond
o may put tremendous pressure on you to “say the right thing” and cause you
to avoid interacting with others.
 pharmacist’s personal perception of the value of patient communication.
o Many pharmacists believe that talking with patients is not a high-priority
activity.
 o They may perceive that patients neither expect nor want to talk with them.
Thus, they are reluctant to approach patients.
o If they do not value patient interaction, then they will not be eager to
participate in patient counseling activities
B. PATIENT-RELATED PERSONAL BARRIERS
- Examples:
 If patients perceive you as not being knowledgeable or trustworthy, they will tend
not to ask questions or listen to the advice being offered.
 if they perceive that you do not want to talk with them, they will not approach
you.
 If patients perceive you as being knowledgeable and have had positive
experiences in the past talking with pharmacists, they will tend to seek out
information.
 Therefore, you may need to alter negative patient perceptions by
informing patients that you sincerely want to communicate with them,
and by actually counseling them effectively
 the belief that the health care system is impersonal.
o Some patients sense that health care providers are not concerned about
them as individuals but rather as cases or disease states
 Patient perceptions of their medical conditions may also inhibit communication.
o Some may believe that their condition is a relatively minor one requiring no
further discussion with you.
o some patients may be overly anxious about their condition and therefore will
avoid talking about it because they feel so vulnerable.
o Some patients may feel that their physicians would have told them
everything about their condition and their medication. Therefore, there is no
need to talk with you
o many patients think that all the important information is stated on the
prescription label.
 You may need to convince some patients that they need to learn more
about their medications and that the few moments spent with you will
be valuable to them later on.
C. ADMINISTRATIVE BARRIERS
- Example:
 most community practitioners are not paid directly for educating or communicating
with patients. Counseling services are not included as part of pharmacies’ business
plans
 policies that discourage pharmacist–patient interaction
o high prescription counters, glass partitions, or even bars separate patients
from the pharmacist and thus discourage patient–pharmacist interaction

 multi tasking (type a label, count medications, talk on the phone, and
complete other necessary dispensing tasks) while trying to communicate with the
patient
 Staffing policies
o Sufficient staff
 o support should be available to provide more time for the pharmacist to offer
enhanced patient care, including patient counseling
D. TIME BARRIERS
- The timing of the interaction is critical, since both parties must be ready to
communicate at a given time
- A possible solution might be to give her basic information to get the therapy started
and then contact her at a later time via phone or e-mail when both of you may be
more relaxed and ready to communicate
- Another strategy is to have written information emphasizing key points that can
reinforce a short message during busy situations

Steps of the Communication Process:

1. The Sender has an idea to communicate

something the sender wants to communicate to someone else
2. The Sender encodes the idea in a message
put the idea into some form that can be communicated (spoken or written or hand gestures,
body movement or facial expressions)
3. The message travels over a channel
a particular means or medium by which the sender sends the message (phone, f2f, paper,
draw, email, body language, etc.)
Note: disruption may occur (impairment in sight or hearing)
4. The Receiver decodes the message
translate the original message into a form that the receiver understands
Note: complications in the understanding (cultural differences, education background)
5. The Receiver understands the message and sends feedback to the Sender
the sender can verify that the message has been received and understood
Note: Do not provide an more information than the receiver can process at any one time.

Personal Responsibilities in the Communication Model

As a sender, you are responsible for ensuring that the message is transmitted in the clearest
form, in terminology understood by the other person, and in an environment conducive to clear
transmission. To check whether the message was received as intended, you need to ask for
feedback from the receiver and clarify any misunderstandings. Thus, your obligation as the sender
of a message is not complete until you have determined that the other person has understood the
message correctly. As a receiver, you have the responsibility of listening to what is being
 transmitted by the sender. To ensure accurate communication, you should provide feedback to the
sender by describing what you understood the message to be.
Providing feedback to check the meaning of the message may alleviate some
communication misunderstandings. As senders of messages, we should ask others to share their
interpretation of the message.
Relying on our intuition is not as effective as obtaining explicit feedback to measure
understanding.
To become more effective, efficient, and accurate in our communication, we must strive to
include explicit feedback in our interactions with others.

NON VERBAL
Because nonverbal communication contributes significantly to the meanings of messages
between pharmacists and others, it is important for you to keep the following in mind:
1. Certain nonverbal behaviors are universal; however, many are culturally specific.
2. Interpreting body language is ambiguous. Many people state that they can read a person like a
book. However, assigning a particular meaning to a specific body movement without checking the
meaning of that movement is dangerous. You could assign the wrong meaning to the nonverbal
message.
3. Nonverbal behavior is more powerful than verbal. If the spoken word contradicts nonverbal
behaviors, the observer will believe the nonverbal messages. Even simple advice, such as “Store
this in the refrigerator and shake it well every time you use it,” may be influenced by your facial
expression and tone of voice (Burgoon et al, 1995). If your tone conveys boredom and your
manner is perfunctory, the advice may be seen as being of only minor importance.
4. The physical attributes of your practice environment have important effects on communication
with patients. The location, design elements of the counseling area, employee appearance, and
even the color scheme and signage on the walls all contribute to the messages that patients
receive about your philosophy and attitude toward patient counseling.

Nonverbal communication involves an enormously important part of interpersonal

communication. You should concentrate on your own nonverbal communications, as well as the
various nonverbal cues provided by others. In this way, you can become a more effective, skilled
communicator. Developing an awareness of your own nonverbal messages and detecting the
nonverbal messages in others are important steps in developing skilled nonverbal communication

ESSENTIAL INTERPERSONAL SKILLS FOR THE HCP

1. Tactfulness and Diplomacy

- does not put down the other person and their actions

2. Courtesy and Respect

- show courtesy and considerations for other people’s feelings and needs

- showing respect means that you value that person, as such that person will feel that they are
important to you.

 How? paying attention , good posture, eye contact, address appropriate title
  Thus, they will work effectively with you or patients will be more compliant and more
able to help you serve them.

3. Empathy

- showing that you understand – to the point of feeling – how another person feels

- Showing that you care

 Thus, the other person can tell that you are there to fully acknowledge what they are
feeling and that you will provide support and care

4. Genuineness

- to be completely yourself when dealing with others

- to be completely open and honest in all your words and actions

 You let others know that they are getting the real you not just a an act or front

5. Appropriate Self-Disclosure

- to open up or show something about one’s self which brings closeness to others for it shows
empathy as well

 Showing others that we have similar experiences to theirs, so that we show them we
have something in common with them
 Note: be wary when and how to use this. Make sure that it is related and it is not all
about you

6. Assertiveness

- assertive in communication style

- To be able to comfortably and confidently express your ideas, opinions and feelings while still
respecting others’ ideas, opinions and feelings

 Assertiveness vs Aggressiveness
 Standing up for what you think is right without any undue anxiety about what others may
think of you
- Use clear and direct language while remaining relaxed and respectful (No sarcastic language,
superior attitude). In turn, they feel respected and valued by you and trust you more easily