Health professionals "more communicative".
Dr. Borja García de Bikuña gave a talk on pharmacist-patient communication at the classroom Pharmacy internship of the University.
According to Dr. Borja García de Bikuña, community pharmacist, consultant and trainer, healthcare professionals are not sufficiently aware of the importance of communication. This was clarified by the expert on the occasion of the course "Pharmacist-patient communication" that he gave at the classroom Pharmacy internship of the University of Navarra.
In the expert's opinion, this deficiency is at the origin of "many complaints, problems and bad tastes in the mouths of patients and their families, something that is recognized by the professionals themselves". For this reason, his lecture, aimed at students in the final years of Pharmacy, included the main concepts of verbal communication - the importance of asking, explaining, knowing how to listen and use silence - and non-verbal communication.
In this last area, the specialist emphasized the importance of posture in patient care - "slightly leaning forward and with the palms open"-. He also emphasized the role of gestures, facial expression, the interpersonal distance that should be maintained, the body contact , the tone and volume of the voice, etc.
Borja García de Bikuña used practical examples taken from day-to-day pharmacy practice, although he insisted that these techniques "are enriching in any field".
The classroom Pharmacy internship organizes various complementary activities open to all students at Degree and which can be consulted on its website.