Question

In order for communication to take place, the patient must trust the health care provider.  How is trust developed? Identify and discuss the steps necessary to establish trust and identify at least two significant roadblocks to communication and how they can be overcome.

Answer 1

Being compassionate, spending appropriate time with patients, demonstrating active listening, and helping to advise and resolve the patient’s problems will all contribute to building a trusting, respectful relationship.

Pharmacists and healthcare professionals have a moral obligation to build trust with patients and represent their profession in a trustworthy manner. It is important to remember that trust is a fragile concept; once interpersonal trust is lost, it can be difficult to rebuild

to provide patient-centred care;

to communicate effectively;

to maintain, develop and use your professional knowledge and skills;

to behave in a professional manner (specifically to be trustworthy and act with honesty and integrity); and

finally, to respect and maintain patients’ confidentiality/privacy

Two road blocks in communication are language and misinterpretation of medical terms

if patient does not know your language use a translater

Try to use common man language rather than medical terms ( eg swallowing difficulty for dysphagia)