Patient counseling is a big part of a pharmacist’s duty. This article outlines the steps for patient counseling as recommended by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP).
Step One: Establish a caring relationship
- Introduce yourself
- Explain the purpose of this counseling session
- Explain the expected length
- Obtain the patient’s agreement
Step Two: Assess the Patient’s Knowledge Of the Medication
- Use open-ended questions
- “Can you tell me what you know about this medication?”
Step Three: Provide Information
- Medication name, brand name, and the drug class
- Medication’s use and expected benefits and actions, such as “this medication reduces the symptoms of…”, and “this medication helps slow the progress of …”
- Medication’s expected onset of action and what to do if the action does not occur.
- Medication’s route, dosage, dosage form, duration, and schedule.
- Direction for use and preparation, such as “how to use ProAir inhaler”
- What to do in the case of a missed dose
- What precautions need to be taken
- Any potential common and severe side effects and actions to prevent or minimize their occurrences
- Techniques for self-monitoring
- Potential drug-drug, drug-food, and drug-disease interaction
- Any relevant lab results
- Prescription refill
- How to contact the pharmacy
- Proper storage and disposal
Step Four: Verify the Patient’s Knowledge and Understand
Step Five: Thank the Patient for their time
If you wish to read the full ASHP document, you may click here.