Shifting pharmacist medication counselling from directive monologue to collaborative dialogue using the CONNECT-6...

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Practice
• Behavioural Science
• Health Communication

Background:

• Current medication counselling frameworks often fail in real-world application due to siloed approaches.
• There is a need for integrated frameworks combining communication, behavioural science, and pharmacy practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a structured, theory-informed medication counselling framework.
• To operationalize Motivational Interviewing principles with complementary behavioural models for pharmacists.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods validation study involving 27 pharmacists in Selangor, Malaysia.
• Training on the CONNECT-6 framework followed by pre- and post-intervention surveys and roleplay evaluations.
• Performance assessment using validated checklists and qualitative feedback via a hot wash session.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements in pharmacist competency across all domains post-intervention (p=0.002).
• Enhanced self-assessed understanding and confidence in patient motivation, education, and adherence assessment (p≤0.003).
• Qualitative data indicated a shift towards collaborative dialogue and improved therapeutic relationships.

Conclusions:

• The CONNECT-6 framework effectively enhances pharmacist competency and patient-centred communication.
• Integrating behavioural science theory into practice addresses critical gaps in medication counselling.
• CONNECT-6 shows potential for widespread implementation in various healthcare settings.