Creative communication in networking services as the social skill of geriatric pharmacist

Abstract

The geriatric pharmacist is one of the professions that play an important role in providing drug services to the elderly. As specialist pharmacists, they are expected to be not only rich in clinical skills but also have good social skills to understand and meet the therapeutic needs of patients. On the other hand, the community views that pharmacists are very accessible, and caregivers trust them as a link with the health care network. This study aims to describe the forms of creative communication of geriatric pharmacists in networking services. Four electronic databases (PUBMED, Science Direct, Scopus and Google Scholar) have been used to explore relevant research. The research articles reviewed were original articles that stated creative communication in networking as an idea of the pharmacist and the application in service by the pharmacist. The articles were selected with several inclusion criteria, namely published between 2000-2019, designed with Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) and/or qualitative studies, in English, and containing ideas or communication activities by pharmacists in networking services for patients or collaborating with another stakeholder. Exclusion criteria were articles which are research protocols, do not mention communication activities and efforts in creating a service network clearly and articles that only examine and assess economic aspects. Search results on 421 articles produced 13 articles that met the criteria for review, 9 articles from RCT and 4 articles from qualitative studies. Pharmacists can make oral, written and direct home visits when they provide advice. Pharmacists inform drugs through sign language, visual media and communication technology. Creative communication as a social skill plays an important role in networking services for doctors, nurses, patient families, caregivers and institutions related to services for the elderly.