You’re a Pharmacist Right?
Navigating the Art of Counseling Amongst Family & Friends
“Hey, you’re a pharmacist right?”
This is a question that has been presented to you from the moment you gained your degree. It could have been during a friendly barbecue, or your daughter’s wedding, or the middle of a 6 hour road trip. Either way, this leading question is usually asked outside a pharmacy by a friend or family member.
This question doesn’t end with a simple yes or no. It leads to more questions and discussions about medication or disease, etc. For you experienced medications experts, you have gained a skill that can only be earned from experience. As soon as you hear those words uttered, you snap into healthcare professional mode. Similar to how Clark Kent dons his Superman suit, you straighten your posture and shrug on a metaphorical white coat. One that represents the clinician-patient relationship that is a respected staple of your profession.
It is possible to properly counsel someone who you consider to be family/friend. But it requires discipline to know the difference between giving an opinion, giving advice, and giving information.
I have yet to fully harness this skill as I am still a pharmacy student, but have had the pleasure of observing how important it is. I have also been on the receiving end of a re-worded form of the question above which usually presents itself as “Hey, you’re going to be a pharmacist right?”.
Before the pandemic, this question was a sproadic occurance. However, the impact of COVID-19 on office hours and quarantine requirements has driven this to be a weekly thing. I get calls/texts/knocks on my door from those closest to my heart about medicine. I am in the middle of my APPE rotations so I cannot legally counsel or make recommendations without the supervision of a pharmacist. As such, I only give simple suggestions backed by evidence and approval of my Pharmacy Manager, who has grown used to my family dynamic. However, I recognize that I have access and knowledge on information that my loved ones and friends seek. This time next year, I will be their walking, talking, licensed, go to pharmacy search engine.
Why Was This written?
These experiences have led me to review and reflect on how to properly engage those who ask me medication related questions. As such, this article holds the following purpose:
- Review what you should ask when approached with drug info questions from loved ones
- Identify possible barriers to helping family/friends with medication questions.
Why Should I Continue Reading?
Generally you are not supposed to “treat” loved ones. However, the world of healthcare has so many gray spots, and pharmacy is one of them. Some pharmacists strive to help their patients as they would their own mother. It is a profession of interaction, especially in the community pharmacy setting. So helping your actual mother find an OTC product to help with constipation from time to time will not feel like a wrongful act.
Whether you are a seasoned pharmacist, or one who is new to the practicing world, this article may serve to be useful. Your schooling and practice has prepared you to identify barriers that exist when interacting with patients. It has also provided you with possible ways to overcome them. Yet with family/friends you may unknowingly be the barrier to that interaction.
What Should I Ask?
There a lot of questions to ask, and while some may not be necessary, it is important to ask for all pertinent information. You already do it in practice! For example, you ask for name and DOB of a patient, even though they have been coming to your pharmacy for years. With family and friends you can technically skip those questions, but at least confirm their age if the topic warrants that info.
As for what you should ask start by asking them WHY they seek information from you. You have no idea if what you say is going to be used as a reference in a friendly argument/discussion on the topic, or used to make a decision for themselves or another person.
If the information you supply is for the purpose of a specific person I suggest utilizing the “QuEST SCHOLAR MAC” approach. This was taught to me in the classroom and I was very pleasantly surprised by how my pharmacy manager at the time used it in her day to day interactions. Keep in mind this acronym lists components of obtaining pertinent information for the purpose of recommending non-prescription OTC medications and self-care regimens.
Nothing new or different as far as what you would generally ask a patient! What may differ is the form/ language you use ask you ask about each bullet point. The key is remembering that you should/need to touch upon these topics before you get to “T” which is actually talking about what your loved one asked about. You should also gather whether they are asking for themselves or for someone else as it may impact your suggestions.
Once you get to the talking stage, be sure to uphold the autonomy of your loved one. You do this by giving them all the important facts, including the scary side effects and what to look out for.
Wait…I’m a Barrier?
Unfortunately, yes. You can be a physical barrier that interferes with the patient-centered approach of a successful clinician-patient interaction.
For one thing… you know them personally! You may formulate opinions and recommendations based off of what YOU have known about them. This may cause you to purposely not ask some questions. For example, you may not ask your brother, uncle, sister, friend, about allergies because from your years of history, you ASSUME you would be aware of them all. Don’t skip the small things, and you should be golden.
You are not the only barrier though. The enviromnent (or platform) in which you interact can be a hinderance as well! Text messages can be misinterpreted and phone calls can be abruptly ended. When in person, take note of the environment you are discussing in, because this may occur in the middle of a barbecue, wedding, car ride, etc., where other people are in ear shot!
The most absolute important point to note is that even during these interactions, HIPAA still stands. The questions you will ask can be accompanied by sensitive information. You should also make it a habit not to mention these discussions with other family/friends regardless of how close you all are. They might not sue you, but practice makes perfect, and HIPAA when pertaining to loved ones should not be thought of as a gray area.
Putting This Into Practice
COVID-19 is still not over, and you may have family/friends asking you for recommendations, as access to doctors offices and hospitals have been limited/shifted to emergent needs. WHEN this happens, be sure to approach them with the same level of professionalism that you would a regular patient, because after all, you’re a pharmacist. Right?
