Discovering the value of personality types in communication training for pharmacy students

Abstract

Patient-centredness requires pharmacists to view their patients as individuals with unique experiences. [1] Each patient in their social context responds uniquely to verbal communication. Traditionally, pharmacists have been regarded as dispensers of prescription medication. [2] They were trained to understand medication, focus on the product and give product information as the main approach to patients, and emphasise medication adherence as a goal. The move in the profession from product orientation (dispensing medication) to patient orientation requires expanding of their professional training. [3] The pharmacist's professional role has matured to include provision of information, education, and pharmaceutical care services. This expanded role encapsulates a collaborative pharmacist-patient relationship in which both have roles and responsibilities. [4] To be patient-centred, pharmacists need to learn new ways of being with their patients and talking to them, which involves new knowledge and skills as well as innovative ideas to advance the profession towards this role.Communication is mentioned in six of the 10 Competence Standards identified by the South African Pharmacy Council, which together form the minimum requirements for an entry-level pharmacist to be registered in South Africa (SA). [5] Developed communication skills are essential for the practising pharmacist and non-negotiable in building provider-patient relationships. Effective communication is at the heart of patient safety and optimal health outcomes. [6] Training pharmacists to be more aware of the impact of their natural communication style on their patients [7] and healthcare colleagues empowers them to move their professional role from product to patient focused. Such awareness may prompt pharmacists to develop their interpersonal skills to address the human-centred elements of patient-centredness. The more advanced the communication skills of a pharmacist, the better he is equipped to assist patients. [8] Personality type is an indicator of communication style and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator ® (MBTI ® ) is an instrument based on the work of Carl Jung. According to the personality type framework, two people of the same type have the least chance of miscommunication. Consider the four bipolar preference pairs [9] of the MBTI ® :Background. The current movement in the pharmacy profession, from the product towards the patient, demands new educational approaches that support the exit-level outcomes of the South African Pharmacy Council as implemented in 2013. Patient-centred communication calls for an ability to 'walk in the patients' shoes' . Pharmacists, like others, are naturally inclined to think and treat others as they themselves perceive the world, which can result in miscommunication.Objectives. To determine the prevalence of the 16 different Myers-Briggs Type Indicator ® (MBTI ® ) communication styles, and compare them with the prevalence of these styles in the South African (SA) population. Furthermore, to determine the possibilit...