Teaching interviewing skills to pharmacy residents

An instructional program for first-year pharmacy residents in the use of interviewing techniques when assessing the drug therapy of patients is described. The objectives of this project were to (1) teach the appropriate use of interviewing skills and (2) observe the performance of pharmacy residents in assessing the drug therapy of ambulatory patients. Instructional methods included a written self-instructional packet, videotaped lecture and demonstration skits, group discussion, and role playing. Following these, during a four-week period, the residents interviewed patients in the outpatient pharmacy and reviewed their performance on videotape with the instructor. Two simulated patient case situations using a resident posing as a patient who provided predetermined information were used to measure student performance in interviewing patients. An improvement in the ability of the residents to employ the interview techniques and to assess the therapy of patients was noted.