IV.

Activity Questions:

1. Who are the patients that require counseling?

2. List down counseling strategies on the following special situations:

a. antagonistic patient
b. elderly patients
c. patients in embarrassing situation
d. hearing impaired patients

3. Mention some obstacles to Effective Patient Counseling

4. What are the key points to cover during patient counselling?

Answer to questions
1. Who are the patients that require counseling?
 Antagonistic patients
 Elderly patients
 Patients in embarrassing situation
 Hearing impaired patients
 Patients that are pregnant
 Patients that will undergo surgery
 Patients that are foreign to the drug
 Patients

2. List down counseling strategies on the following special situations:

a. Antagonistic patient
 Remain Calm. When dealing with trying patients, the best approach is to remain
calm and do not .
 Engage in Conversation. Try to draw out the patient's feelings by engaging in
conversation.
 Be Empathetic. One of the quickest ways to calm an angry or difficult patient is
by being empathetic and try to understand their situation.
 Avoid Arguing and listen to their opinion.
 Set Boundaries.
 Shake it Off.

b. Elderly patients

 Get their attention. Put your hand gently on their shoulder, or speak their name to
get their attention, before you give important information.
 Reduce background noise. Turn off the music or television. When in restaurants
and social gatherings, sit away from crowded areas.
 Speak clearly. People with hearing loss hate mumbling. Face the person and
enunciate clearly. Speak at a speed slightly slower than normal (but not too slow).
  Speak loudly. Speak a little more loudly than normal, but don’t shout.
 Repeat yourself. People with hearing loss may compensate by nodding as though
they understand, when in fact they didn’t hear you.
 Have good lighting. Facial expressions and body language can be seen more
clearly in well-lit areas.
c. Patients in embarrassing situation
 Have a consultation area. Put patients at ease by designating a private consultation
area. This is to ensure that you get their full attention and prevent them from
being anxious.
 Approach the patient.
 Strategically layout your front end.
 Show empathy.
 Use positive body language so that the patient will know that there is nothing to
be afraid of and you are their to help them.
d. Hearing impaired patients
 Face the hearing-impaired person directly, on the same level and in good light
whenever possible. Position yourself so that the light is shining on the speaker's
face, not in the eyes of the listener.
 Do not talk from another room. Not being able to see each other when talking is a
common reason people have difficulty understanding what is said.
 Speak clearly, slowly, distinctly, but naturally, without shouting or exaggerating
mouth movements. Shouting distorts the sound of speech and may make speech
reading more difficult.
 Avoid talking too rapidly or using sentences that are too complex. Slow down a
little, pause between sentences or phrases, and wait to make sure you have been
understood before going on.
 Keep your hands away from your face while talking. If you are eating, chewing,
smoking, etc. while talking, your speech will be more difficult to understand.
 If the hearing-impaired person has difficulty understanding a particular phrase or
word, try to find a different way of saying the same thing, rather than repeating
the original words over and over.
 If you are giving specific information – such as time, place or phone numbers – to
someone who is hearing impaired, have them repeat the specifics back to you.
Many numbers and words sound alike.
 Whenever possible, provide pertinent information in writing, such as directions,
schedules, work assignments, etc.

References

Michael G.Z (2017). Patient counseling. Retrieved from

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/patient-counseling

Yvette C. Terrie (2008). 10 behaviors of effective counselors. Retrieved from

https://www.pharmacytimes.com/publications/issue/2008/2008-05/2008-05-8527