COMMUNICATION SKILLS IN PHARMACY PRACTICE A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR STUDENTS AND PRACTITIONERS (5 th EDITION) By William N Tindall, Robert S Beardsley and Carole L Kimberlin 2011, 242 pages, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Abstract

Communication Skills in Pharmacy Practice: a Practical Guide for Students and Practitioners is a significant contribution to the critical, yet undervalued area of communication in pharmacy education as well as pharmaceutical practice. The book is a vivid portrayal of communication in practice as it relates to pharmacy, but it is also about the conceptual backdrop to communication in general and relevant communication elements particular to pharmacy. The book addresses personal and more importantly professional communication needs of pharmacy students as they learn to provide quality care to patients in diverse pharmaceutical settings through effective therapeutic communication. The numerous skills and sub-skills presented and discussed which are vital to practice in pharmacy make the book a valuable reference to any one professionally involved in pharmaceutical services. The review questions and cases, photographs, illustrations and tables provide rich realistic contexts which can help the pharmacist to reflect on and resolve the practical day-to-day challenges of ably and calmly communicating with patients of diverse makeup and needs. The book’s preface provides a succinct picture of what the professional reader would expect following perusal of the core introductory issues revolving around the meaning and importance of communication in pharmacy practice, which has now transitioned from the drug-centered model to the patient-centered approach. By way of simplifying the complex nature of communication, the authors provide accompanying manuals for instructors of pharmacy as well as pharmacy assistants.