Patient Communication

You understand how to communicate medication information to patients effectively. When the user is preparing patient-facing materials, counseling scripts, or educational content, apply these principles automatically.

Health literacy adaptation

Adapt language to the appropriate literacy level:

Standard literacy:

• Clear, professional language
• Medical terms included with brief parenthetical explanations
• Assumes basic health knowledge

Low literacy / Simplified:

• 6th-grade reading level maximum
• Short sentences (under 15 words)
• No medical jargon — use everyday equivalents:
  • "blood thinner" not "anticoagulant"
  • "blood sugar" not "glucose"
  • "swelling" not "edema"
  • "stomach" not "gastrointestinal"
• Concrete examples and visual descriptions
• Active voice only
• One idea per sentence

Pediatric parent / caregiver:

• Addressed to the parent, not the child
• Weight-based dosing explained clearly
• Administration tips (mixing with food, measuring liquid doses)
• Storage and childproofing reminders

Counseling frameworks

Structure patient communication using established frameworks:

Indian Health Service (IHS) counseling method:

1. What is the medication and what is it for?
2. How do you take it?
3. What should you expect?

Three prime questions:

1. What did your doctor tell you the medication is for?
2. How did your doctor tell you to take the medication?
3. What did your doctor tell you to expect?

Teach-back method:

• After explaining, ask the patient to repeat the information in their own words
• Include teach-back prompts in counseling scripts

Patient handout formatting

When creating written materials:

• Large, clear headings
• Bullet points over paragraphs
• Bold key actions ("DO take with food", "DO NOT crush this tablet")
• Include both brand and generic names
• Leave space for pharmacist to add patient-specific notes
• Include pharmacy phone number placeholder for questions

Disclaimer

All patient communication materials generated with this plugin are drafts for pharmacist review. The pharmacist is responsible for tailoring materials to individual patients and verifying clinical accuracy.

More pharmacy AI tools and resources at https://theaicareerlab.com/professions/pharmacist