Chapter 13

Human Relations and Communications

Learning Objectives

• Explain the role of the pharmacy technician as a member of the customer care team in a pharmacy.

• State the primary rule of retail merchandising, and explain its corollaries.

• Provide guidelines for proper use of the telephone in a pharmacy.

• Explain the appropriate responses to rude behavior on the part of others in a workplace situation.

Learning Objectives

• Identify the importance of verbal and non-verbal communication skills.

• Define discrimination and harassment, and explain the proper procedures for dealing with these issues.

• Discuss the importance of protecting patient privacy in the pharmacy.

• Identify and discuss the important areas of the Heath Insurance Portability and Accountability Act regulations.

PERSONAL SERVICE IN THE CONTEMPORARY PHARMACY• Attitude and Appearance: Customer

orientation involves dressing and grooming oneself neatly, maintaining a constant lookout for customers in need of assistance, knowing the layout of the store and the location of its merchandise, smiling and using courteous language, providing explanations as necessary to customers, being sensitive to language differences, following established policies and procedures, and referring requests for medical or pharmaceutical advice to competent professionals.

PERSONAL SERVICE IN THE CONTEMPORARY PHARMACY• Telephone Courtesies: Common courtesy

should be used in all telephone communications and conversations with both patients and healthcare professionals.

• Interprofessionalism: A degree of formality is always in order until a request is made to use more informal modes of address in day-to-day operations.

Communication Issues

• Do not provide medical advice. Direct such questions to the pharmacist.

Safety Note!

• attitude

• appearance

• triage

• policy and procedure manual

Terms to Remember

OTHER ASPECTS OF PROFESSIONALISM

• Professional Behavior: Respect should be shown to all who work in a healthcare facility, because each person has an important job to do that contributes to the overall healthcare provided to the patient.

• Verbal and Nonverbal Communication: Maintain eye contact with the person speaking and send the speaker nonverbal signals to indicate that you are genuinely interested in what he or she is saying. Ask questions to clarify issues and repeat portions of the conversation to confirm that you have correctly heard what was said.

OTHER ASPECTS OF PROFESSIONALISM

• Discrimination and Harassment: A no-tolerance policy exists with regard to discrimination and harassment in the pharmacy workplace.

Communication Issues

• All patient medical information is confidential and protected by law.

Safety Note!

• decorum

• etiquette

• open-ended questions

• closed questions

• nonverbal communication

• discrimination

• harassment

Terms to Remember

PATIENT CONFIDENTIALITY

• Respect the Customer’s Privacy: A pharmacy technician must be sensitive to maintaining patient privacy, confidentiality of medical information, and compliance with all state and federal HIPAA regulations.

• Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act: All healthcare facilities that access, store, maintain, or transmit patient identifiable medical information must comply with these regulations. Failure to do so can result in severe civil and criminal penalties.

Patient Identifiersname

address and ZIP code

relatives

employer

date of birth

telephone number or fax number

e-mail address

social security number

medical record number

health plan ID number

account number

vehicle ID

certificate or license number

URL or IP address

fingerprint or voiceprint

photo Table 13.1

• protected health information (PHI)

• patient identifiers

Terms to Remember

DiscussionThe culture of the United States is changing constantly and becoming more diversified. Patients are often influenced by a wide variety of factors in their culture, religion, and community. Explain in writing why it is important for a pharmacist and the pharmacy employees to get to know individual patients, their families, and their cultural beliefs. Include three examples or case illustrations in your explaination.

Discussion

Do an Internet search to identify the laws of your state relating to patient confidentiality of medical information and how they affect community pharmacy practice. How do they differ from HIPAA? Are they more or less stringent than HIPAA?