The regular processes involved in community pharmacy may mean that we can quite easily identify areas where communication could be improved, and could positively impact on patient understanding, compliance and outcomes. The following are examples of areas that can easily be overlooked because they are things that we understand well as pharmacists, but patients will not.

Generics: a patient complains that the colour of their tablets has changed. If you are supplying a new generic it is important to take steps to inform the patient and explain that their medication is the same as they've always taken, rather than leave them to find out when they get home. They may assume their medication is incorrect and could lose confidence in the prescription and in the pharmacy's service.

Medication timings: you inform a patient that their tablets need to be taken four times a day on an empty stomach (or three times a day with food), but they say they find it hard to do this at home. People don't understand when their stomach is empty except just before eating and they won't normally eat four times a day or even three times a day. Help them to understand what this means in terms of timing.

Clinical reviews: you ask several patients if they want an MUR, or an NMS, and they quickly say, 'No thank you' with a slightly confused look. Most patients will have no idea what these acronyms stand for. Avoid using them, and be much clearer about explaining that you'd like to help them get the best from their medication. With the NMS, always explain that you will be contacting them to check if the medicine is helping them rather than causing them any problems, and ask them to contact you if they are unsure that their medicine is working. It is better to explain benefits first, followed by any risks, to create a more positive perception of the medicine.

NHS services: you want to improve the uptake of your pharmacy services, but staff are unclear how to talk to customers about this. Offering additional services should always highlight how it benefits the person, rather than just asking if they would like the service. Approaching it in this way creates a sense of joint decision-making, rather than someone feeling they have been singled out because of a problem with their own health management. It is also best to talk about services being available at no charge, rather than being free, as this creates a sense of value rather than having no value.

Recommending products for self care: the team suggests additional products when a person is making a purchase, but this is not being taken up. Make sure that product recommendations are made in the context of providing enhanced care rather than simply selling more. Explain the benefits of any additional products to support an informed choice and to give the customer the information so that they may act on it at a later date. Most people are grateful for the additional advice, which they may or may not act on, and it will help improve their confidence to self care. All the examples above are relatively simple ways for pharmacy teams to become more patient friendly. Discuss this with the team and decide how to implement this. See if there are other areas that you can also improve. Explain that you want the team to be seen by patients as people who want to do the best for them, who are interested in their care and who will always explain things in a way that makes sense to them.