References

Intelligence is overrated: what you really need to succeed. 2012. https://tinyurl.com/3reyrvha (accessed 20 November 2023)

Mendes A. Creating an appropriate environment for a person with dementia. Br J Nurs. 2017; 26:(21) https://doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2017.26.21.1206

National Voices. Supporting self-management: summarising evidence from systematic reviews. 2014. https://tinyurl.com/47tx7n2e (accessed 15 November 2023)

Factors influencing effective communication when prescribing. 2023. https://tinyurl.com/ymaaaerc (accessed 20 November 2023)

The importance of communication as a prescriber

02 December 2023
Volume 5 · Issue 12

Many of us invest much of our energy, time and resource related to our careers into education, and increasing and building on our technical skills in our respective industries in order to ‘move up the ladder’. However, according to the Carnegie Institute of Research and Technology, 85% of our financial success is due to our personalities, skills in ‘human engineering’, and our ability to communicate, negotiate and lead. Only the remaining 15% results from our technical knowledge (Jensen, 2012).

Communication during a prescribing consultation plays an essential role in ensuring that patients understand their pharmacological and non-pharmacological options, the purpose of each and what can be expected in what approximate timeframe, any potential side effects and how the patient's symptoms, illness trajectory and quality of life are affected by their treatment.

It is also central to determining a patient's needs, empowering a patient to make lifestyle modifications or adhere to medications, facilitating shared decision-making and to delivering safe and effective care and outcomes (Shaikh, 2023). Communication can be optimised by creating a strategy for each individual patient, to achieve truly person-centred prescribing (Shaikh, 2023).

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