Pharmacists make many vital decisions when interacting with a patient or customer. We must ascertain the right information in order to diagnose a condition correctly, to recommend a medicine if needed and to assist with medicine adherence.

We are experts in medicines and their use, but we have limited time because we dispense everincreasing prescription volumes. As healthcare professionals we are torn between dispensing, consultations, employee management and creating a profitable business and CPD, but somehow we do have to find time to talk to our patients and customers.

That topic again?

With increasing workloads and public expectations, you could be forgiven for sighing as you read another article on communication.

How will you find the time to practice achieving closer communication with patients – the element called ‘rapport’? You may wonder whether you really need to build rapport with patients and customers. It has long been recognised that a patient’s physical wellbeing and healing are largely dependent on them receiving effective technical knowledge supported with successful interpersonal communication (see the article by Fernández listed at the end of this article).

We are often told to empathise with our patients. This term is terribly misunderstood – it doesn’t mean touching the arm of someone who is in pain, for example.

Rapport is an incredibly powerful technique for use in healthcare settings and in business. It can save you time and it can help you understand why someone is having difficulty with his or her medicines. It is easy to develop rapport and even easier to break it – and as healthcare professionals, we break rapport with our patients and customers every day. The impact of that loss is greater than you may imagine.