Standardized patients' preferences for pharmacist interactive communication style: A mixed method approach

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Practice
• Communication Studies
• Patient-Centered Care

Background:

• Interactive communication in pharmacy can enhance patient-centered care.
• The 3 prime questions (3PQs) are an example of an interactive approach.
• Patient preferences for pharmacists' communication styles are not well-documented.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore standardized patient (SP) preferences and satisfaction with pharmacists' communication styles.
• To assess SP perceptions of communication post-intervention.
• To evaluate changes in pharmacist-to-SP talk-time ratio.

Main Methods:

• Mixed-methods, before-and-after evaluation design.
• Twelve SPs and 10 pharmacists participated.
• Video-recorded interactions and stimulated recall interviews were used.

Main Results:

• Most SPs (58%) preferred interactive communication (e.g., Conversation with Equals).
• A significant minority (33%) preferred a traditional information-provision approach.
• Pharmacist use of 3PQs increased patient talk time in some scenarios, but pharmacists still talked more.

Conclusions:

• Patient preferences for pharmacist communication styles vary.
• Just over half of SPs favored interactive approaches, while a third preferred traditional methods.
• Pharmacists should consider patient expectations when implementing communication strategies like the 3PQs.