Pharmacy Patient Counseling

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.

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