“
“Objectives  To explore how the use of digital media could affect how people view professional behaviour. Key findings  The growth in social networking sites has been phenomenal and they are now an extremely popular medium for interacting with others both commercially and privately. This as-yet-uncontrolled digital media provides ample opportunities for public and professional scrutiny for the unwary. Instances of employer screening and employee dismissal are already documented. All pharmacists who use digital media now need to be conscious that their virtual presence could be subject to regulator

investigation. Conclusions  It is important that individuals are aware of the risks associated with using digital media and that pharmacy organisations begin to provide clear leadership to help pharmacists know what is and is not acceptable. “
“Communication is a key issue in the delivery of healthcare BI 2536 solubility dmso services. In the pharmacy context, pharmacist–patient communication may vary from brief counselling episodes to extensive pharmaceutical care consultations. Many community pharmacies have

developed practices to facilitate the effective delivery of pharmacy care, in particular to chronic patients, although the nature and extent of the services differ widely from country to country. Diabetes-focused pharmaceutical care is an example highlighting both the opportunities and challenges associated with an expansion of pharmacy services Phospholipase D1 from product dispensing to pharmaceutical consultations. An area of particular challenge of such an expansion of pharmaceutical services

R788 is the development of expertise in the delivery of patient-centred pharmaceutical consultations. Although well known to medicine and nursing, patient-centredness has not been routinely incorporated into the training of pharmacists, evaluation of pharmacy practice or conduct of pharmacy-related research. There are few studies of the communication process based on analysis of an objective record such as an audio or video recording and the common perspective is largely a one-way information flow from pharmacist to patient. This has hampered the field’s ability to link pharmacy communication to outcomes, including patient adherence and satisfaction with services. An extensive body of communication research on physician–patient interaction, employing the Roter Interaction Analysis System (RIAS), exists and the system presents a potentially useful tool in the pharmacy context. The purpose of this essay is to explore the utility of the RIAS for analysis of pharmacist–patient interaction and its implication for improving patient care and optimizing pharmacy-specific outcomes. “
“Objectives The practice environment in Alberta has emerged as the most unique in North America, including access to laboratory values, a province-wide electronic health record and legislation to support additional prescribing authority for qualified pharmacists.