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The concept of trust is important in healthcare because health and healthcare in general involve an element of uncertainty and risk for the vulnerable patient who is reliant on the competence and intentions of the healthcare professional[1] High levels of trust have been associated with many benefits, including a perception of better care, greater acceptance to recommended treatment and adherence to that treatment, lower
anxiety in relation to any treatment taken, and reportedly facilitates access to health
services[3],[4],[5],[6],[7] A report published in 2015 on behalf of the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), the independent regulator for pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy premises in Great Britain, showed that public trust in advice from pharmacists was high (87% of those asked said they trusted a pharmacist a fair amount or a great deal), but
the degree of that trust was significantly weaker in pharmacists than in other healthcare professionals (only 39% trusted a pharmacist a great
deal[8] Individual studies have determined various factors that influence trust
in healthcare
professionals[10],[11],[12],[13],[14]
Competence in knowledgeSection 5 of the GPhC standards of conduct, ethics and
performance[16] However, mistakes happen. Work is currently ongoing regarding the development of professional standards for error reporting, through which patient safety will be enhanced by sharing and learning from errors and near misses[18] Box 1: Competence in knowledge — points to consider
Box 2: Essential messages from the ‘Saying sorry’ NHS Litigation Authority leaflet
All pharmacists and healthcare professionals are required to communicate effectively with patients and should adapt their communication style to meet the needs of the patient, in accordance with GPhC
standards[16] Box 3: Ways to demonstrate active listening
Source: Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (CPPE). Consultation skills for pharmacy practice: taking a patient-centred approach. DLP 172. February 2014; page 77. Available at: http://www.consultationskillsforpharmacy.com/docs/docb.pdf All healthcare professionals are required, as per NHS policy, to provide patient-centred care. Patient-centred care means that patients should be given the opportunity to have full involvement in all decisions affecting
them[20] Two resources available to support pharmacists and healthcare professionals’ development towards effective consultation skills and a patient-centred approach include:
Ultimately, pharmacists and healthcare professionals must reflect on their practice and develop these skills over time. HonestyPharmacists are expected to act with honesty and integrity to maintain public trust in and uphold the reputation of the
profession[16] Conducting the pharmacy business in an ethical manner is also important to build a trusting relationship by being open and honest in dealings with patients. For example, this may mean only conducting medicines use reviews (MURs) when there is a clear clinical need, despite the pressure of targets, or recommending the most appropriate non-prescription medicine product for the patient rather than the one with the greater profit margin. ConfidentialityPatients need to know that they can trust pharmacists and healthcare professionals to respect their privacy and dignity, otherwise this may prevent them from being able to ask for advice or share information. If confidentiality of a patient is breached, it may
not only harm the individual relationship with the patient, but also the trust that patient has built with any healthcare professional. Lack of privacy in community pharmacies was highlighted as a cause for concern in the GPhC ‘Public perceptions’ report, therefore, it is clearly important to
patients[8] Confidentiality is a legal requirement, the principles of which are embedded in the GPhC
standards[16] There may be times when pharmacists and healthcare professionals are asked to disclose confidential patient information. In the first instance, patient consent to do so should be obtained. If this is not possible or would undermine the purpose of the disclosure, the pharmacist or healthcare professional needs to be satisfied that the disclosure is appropriate and meets any legal requirements surrounding
confidentiality[23] Box 4: Confidentiality in the pharmacy Do:
Do not:
Showing respect and caringAn important element of a lasting professional relationship is respect. The GPhC standards state that cultural diversity and the right for patients to hold their own values and beliefs must be respected. Pharmacists and healthcare professionals have an obligation not to allow any personal prejudices they may hold to detract from providing the highest quality patient care. Professional boundaries must also be maintained at all
times; if these are crossed, patients may lose trust and confidence in pharmacists, healthcare professionals and the
profession[24] Every patient deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, and by encouraging
patients to deliberate and make choices through shared decision-making, patient autonomy is upheld[25] 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[26] Reading this article counts towards your CPD You can use the following forms to record your learning and action points from this article from Pharmaceutical Journal Publications. Your CPD module results are stored against your account here at The Pharmaceutical Journal. You must be registered and logged into the site to do this. To review your module results, go to the ‘My Account’ tab and then ‘My CPD’. Any training, learning or development activities that you undertake for CPD can also be recorded as evidence as part of your RPS Faculty practice-based portfolio when preparing for Faculty membership. To start your RPS Faculty journey today, access the portfolio and tools at www.rpharms.com/Faculty If your learning was planned in advance, please click: If your learning was spontaneous, please click: References[1] Alaszewski A. Risk, trust and health. Health Risk Soc 2003;5(3):235–239. doi: 10.1080/13698570310001606941 [2] Oxford English Dictionary. Available at: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/trust (accessed September 2016) [3] Caterinicchio RP. Testing plausible path models of interpersonal trust in patient–physician treatment relationships. Soc Sci Med 1979;13:81–99. doi: 10.1016/0271-7123(79)90011-7 [4] Joffe S, Manocchia M, Weeks JC et al. What do patients value in their hospital care? An empirical perspective on autonomy centred bioethics. J Med Ethics 2003;29:103–108. doi: 10.1136/jme.29.2.103 [5] Jackson LA, Putnam W, Twohig PL et al. What has trust got to do with it? Cardiac risk reduction and family physicians’ discussions of evidence-based recommendations. Health Risk Soc 2004;6(3):239–255. doi: 10.1080/1369857042000275650 [6] Booth ML, Bernard D, Quine S et al. Access to health care among Australian adolescents: young people’s perspectives and their sociodemographic distribution. J Adolesc Health 2004;34:97–103. doi: 10.1016/s1054-139x(03)00304-5 [7] Gilson L. Trust and the development of health care as a social institution. Soc Sci Med 2003;56(7):1453–1468. doi: 10.1016/s0277-9536(02)00142-9 [8] Ipsos Public Affairs. Public perceptions of pharmacies. The General Pharmaceutical Council Final report. 2015. Available at: http://www.pharmacyregulation.org/sites/default/files/gphc_public_perceptions_report_-_final.pdf (accessed September 2016) [9] Which? News. Can you trust your local pharmacy’s advice?Which? investigation finds best and worst companies. 20 May 2013. Available at: http://www.which.co.uk/news/2013/05/can-you-trust-your-local-pharmacys-advice-319886/ (accessed September 2016) [10] Thom DH & Campbell B. Patient–physician trust: an exploratory study. J Fam Pract 1997;44(2):169–176. PMID: 9040520 [11] Gopichandran V & Chetlapalli SK. Factors influencing trust in doctors: a community segmentation strategy for quality improvement in healthcare. BMJ Open 2013;3:e004115. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2013-0041 15 [12] Bell L & Duffy A. A concept analysis of nurse–patient trust. Br J Nurs 2009;18(1):46–51. doi: 10.12968/bjon.2009.18.1.32091 [13] Rowe R & Calnan M. Trust relations in health care: developing a theoretical framework for the “new” NHS. J Health Organ Manag 2006;20(5):376–396. doi: 10.1108/14777260610701777 [14] Rørtveit K, Hansen BS, Leiknes I et al. Patients’ experiences of trust in the patient–nurse relationship—a systematic review of qualitative studies. Open J Nurs 2015;5:195–209. doi: 10.4236/ojn.2015.53024 [15] Calnan N & Rowe R. Trust in Healthcare. An agenda for future research (discussion paper). Nuffield Trust Seminar, 17 Nov 2004. Available at: http://www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/sites/files/nuffield/event/Trust%20In%20Health%20Care.pdf (accessed September 2016) [16] General Pharmaceutical Council. Standards of conduct, ethics and performance. 2012. Available at: https://www.pharmacyregulation.org/sites/default/files/standards_of_conduct_ethics_and_performance_july_2014.pdf (accessed September 2016) [17] General Pharmaceutical Council. Standards for continuing professional development. 2010. Available at: https://www.pharmacyregulation.org/sites/default/files/Standards%20for%20continuing%20professional%20development%20s.pdf (accessed September 2016) [18] Royal Pharmaceutical Society. Have your say on our new error reporting standards. 2015. Available at: http://www.rpharms.com/what-s-happening-/news_show.asp?id=2845 (accessed September 2016) [19] NHS Litigation Authority. NHS Litigation Authority guidance on candour. November 2014. Available at: http://www.nhsla.com/OtherServices/Documents/NHS%20LA%20-%20Duty%20of%20Candour.pdf (accessed September 2016) [20] Department of Health. Liberating the NHS: no decision about me, without me. Government response. December 2012. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/216980/Liberating-the-NHS-No-decision-about-me-without-me-Government-response.pdf (accessed October 2016) [21] Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education. Consultation skills for pharmacy practice: taking a patient-centred approach. 2014. [22] NHS Shared decision making. Written by the BMJ Group. Available at: http://sdm.rightcare.nhs.uk/ (accessed September 2016) [23] General Pharmaceutical Council. Guidance on patient confidentiality. 2012. Available at: https://www.pharmacyregulation.org/sites/default/files/guidance_on_confidentiality_april_2012_14.pdf (accessed September 2016) [24] General Pharmaceutical Council. Guidance on maintaining clear sexual boundaries. 2012. Available at: https://www.pharmacyregulation.org/sites/default/files/GPHC%20Guidance%20on%20sexual%20boundaries.pdf (accessed September 2016) [25] Duggan PS, Geller G, Cooper LA et al. The moral nature of patient-centeredness: is it ‘‘just the right thing to do’’? Patient Educ Couns 2006;62:271–276. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2005.08.001 [26] Hupcey JE & Miller J. Community dwelling adults’ perception of interpersonal trust vs. trust in health care providers. J Clin Nurs 2006;15:1132–1139. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2702.2006.01386.x [27] General Pharmaceutical Council. Consultation on standards for pharmacy professionals. 2016. Available at: https://www.pharmacyregulation.org/sites/default/files/consultation_on_standards_for_pharmacy_professionals_april_2016.pdf (accessed September 2016) Last updated 2 March 2022 12:56 CitationThe Pharmaceutical Journal, PJ, November 2016, Vol 297, No 7895;297(7895)::DOI:10.1211/PJ.2016.20201862What is the main reason for requesting feedback when communicating with a patient?Terms in this set (39)
The principal reason for requesting feedback when communicating with patients is to determine whether they.. Which aspects of our communication is most likely to convey our true feelings and beliefs? are not telling the truth.
Why are medical assistants encouraged to avoid aggressive communication?Why are medical assistants encouraged to avoid agressive communication? It implies that the speakers opinions are more important that those of others.
Why is it important for medical assistants to have effective communication?Complex therapeutic relationships thrive on a delicate balance of listening, understanding, and educating. Patients are individuals with different needs and learning styles, making good communication is a medical assistant's most important skill.
What is being acutely sensitive to what is proper and appropriate when interacting with others called?Tact definition
Acute sensitivity to what is proper and appropriate in dealing with others, including the ability to speak or act without offending.
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