Patient counseling by pharmacist - a focus on chronic illness.

The management of chronic illness needs lifestyle modifications and drug therapy for a long period. Patient understanding regarding the illness plays a very important role in management of chronic illness. Effective patient counseling makes the patient understand his/her illness, necessary lifestyle modifications and pharmacotherapy in a better way and thus enhance patient compliance. The pharmacist has immense responsibility in counseling the patients with chronic illness. The counseling pharmacist should possess adequate knowledge and should be an effective communicator, making use of the verbal and non-verbal communication skills.