A characterization of the current communication patterns in Danish community pharmacies - an observational study

Background: Community pharmacies have been trying to expand their core function by counseling customers at the counter. This has been challenging given that customers' interest in receiving counseling may be limited.

Objectives: To characterize the current pharmacist-customer communication patterns to inform future studies and models of communication.

Methods: Non-participant structured observations based on the works of Stevenson et al. were conducted. A random selection of one hundred encounters in five pharmacies in Denmark was obtained. Type of encounter, type of medicine purchased and the age and gender of the customer were observed, and associations between the parameters identified.

Results: Customers initiated 13% of the dialogs, whereas 60% were initiated by the staff (with 38% of the customers declining the offer). 26% of the encounters saw no communication about the medicine. The customers' level of interest in counseling varied significantly and more with the type of medicine purchased than the level of encouragement from the staff to initiate a dialog. The customers' interest in dialog, in contrast with the staff behavior, depended significantly on age and gender.

Conclusions: Customers' interest in counseling varies significantly. Pharmacy staff should take this into consideration when trying to optimize communication.