Pharmacist medication history interview of elderly patients in a teaching hospital in Nigeria

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Abstract
Objective To explore communication patterns between hospital pharmacists and elderly patients during medication history interviews. Method Medication history interviews conducted by four hospital pharmacists were audiotaped and videotaped. A transcript was constructed for each interview comprising the words spoken, supplemented by noted observations of non-verbal behaviour from the videotapes. Twenty transcripts were coded and analysed using the socio-linguistic model of communication. Results Misconception of speech events was found to be an important source of conflict in the pharmacist-patient relationship. Miscommunication occurred most frequently in the acoustic, lexicon and conception areas. Conclusion Pharmacists' communication skills with the elderly must be developed for effective interaction about medication use.