Analysis of Pharmacist Communication with Patients in Triaging OTC Drugs

It is an important task of the pharmacist to triage appropriate over-the-counter (OTC) drugs for patients to achieve efficacy and safety.In this study,we investigated the present situation regarding the triage of OTC drugs for patients based on pharmacists interviewing patients in a fact-finding survey which determined how pharmacists in a drugstore communicate with patients during such interviews.We analyzed patterns of pharmacist communication with patients for the purpose of triaging OTC drugs in the drugstore and compared them with typical recommended communication patterns in the United States.In the drugstore,there were 3 patterns of initiating dialog with patients purchasing OTC drugs which were (1)“What are your symptoms?”2)“What is the name of the drug that you want?”and (3)“What disease do you have?” Using the first pattern we conducted a role play simulating the triaging of OTC drugs by pharmacists actually working in drug stores to standardized patients.In response to the patient’s description of his or her current symptoms,pharmacists used various speech patterns to explain the suitability of drugs selected and the cautions in use.In interviews conducted by inexperienced pharmacists,time was wasted in communication and there was no logical flow in them.Afterwards,some pharmacists said that they had not been able to obtain enough information from patients for triaging OTC drugs and others thought it was necessary to set algorithms for this purpose.These opinions suggest that pharmacy education in Japan should include training that makes pharmacists realize their responsibility in triaging OTC drugs for patients.