Pharmacists' evaluation of key communication skills in practice.

This paper reports the results of a major research initiative into the identification of key communication skills in community pharmacist-patient consultations. It is now widely accepted that the quality of practitioner-patient communication is fundamental to effective health care. However, an analysis of the literature pertaining to the communication issues facing health professionals in general and pharmacists in particular emphasised the need for more empirical research, to chart what pharmacists themselves deemed to be the nature and range of skills which contribute to effective communication performance in community pharmacy practice. The main aim of this research investigation was, therefore, to identify what constituted effective communicative performance by community pharmacists. This paper provides full details of the repertoire of skills and sub-skills identified as being the core communicative elements of practice. The results of this research will have relevance for health professionals and behavioural scientists, and will also contribute to the assurance of quality within the field of community pharmacy practice.