Monash University Handbook 2010 Undergraduate - Unit

Level	Undergraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Offered	Sunway First semester 2010 (Day) Parkville First semester 2010 (Day)
Coordinator(s)	Dr Safeera Hussainy

Synopsis

This unit aims to provide students with fundamental knowledge, skills and resources to interact with patients and other health care professionals to effect positive therapeutic outcomes. The unit focuses on definition, development and refinement of communication skills for pharmacists in all aspects of professional practice. This professional practice is defined in terms of the expectations and structure of the Australian Health Care System and in context of global approaches to health.
Students will develop an understanding of:

• effective communication with patients and prescribers; health literacy; the problems of medication non-adherence and means of overcoming them; the role of the pharmacist in patient education.

Students will develop abilities in:

• the areas of accessing information; written and oral communication (including effective communication in special settings); patient counselling; problem-solving in clinically- oriented situations; and creating, maintaining and utilising individual patient records.

Students will develop an appreciation of concepts in systematic care of patients.

Objectives

After completing this unit, students will be able to:

1. Describe specific strategies and resources that may be used in an active way to enhance all communication elements of professional pharmacy practice with patients and other health care professionals.
2. Communicate with patients and other health care professionals in a considered way focussing on best clinical outcomes.
3. Describe a systematic approach to consistent clinical decision-making and the communication strategies to achieve the most effective outcome.
4. Understand approaches to professional communication (with patients and other health care professionals) in special settings and with specific groups of people.
5. Be familiar with clinical and other health terminology used and be able to interpret this information for clinical decision-making and for translating into meaningful language for patients as appropriate.

Assessment

four tutorial assignments (15% in total); communication assignment (10%); final exam (75%)

Chief examiner(s)

Dr Safeera Hussainy

Contact hours

36 hours of lectures/whole class tutorials, 15 hours of group tutorials, and 6 hours of formative assessment activities

Prerequisites

PAC1311 Pharmacy, health and society I
PAC1322 Pharmacy, health and society II

Additional information on this unit is available from the faculty at:

http://www.monash.edu.au/muso/support/