LISTENING SKILLS AND EMPATHETIC RESPONSE IN COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Dr.Azmi1,Sir SW Gillani¹, Mohemmad Redzuan2, Mashapiz Masrus2, Viwashine Narayan 2, Noridabiaton2, Rabiatul Adawiyah2,
ABSTRACT
FINDING
Communication Skills in pharmacy practice are very
important nowadays. As pharmacist , they should have
a good communication skills in order to approach
patients whether using verbal and non verbal
communication. Besides, communication skills in
pharmacy practice help pharmacist and patient to
interact and built relationship between them in drug
therapeutic therapy. Both components, listening skills
and empathetic response play major role in pharmacist-
patient interaction.
  Listening and empathetic response in effective
communication is the essential communication tools
between two parties. Listening is the process of hearing
to another person and to understand the meaning by
own interpretation. Empathy is the positive effect
involving the feeling of others before understanding the
meaning of the communication. Its not sympathy as
empathy involves feeling as someone not feeling for
someone. It involves paying attention to another person
with empathy (emotional identification, compassion,
feeling, insight). Listening can enhance ones ability to
listen without better understanding while empathetic
responding has its ability to sense emotions, care and
relationship in a convincing manner.
OBJECTIVES
1. To understand listening skills and empathetic
response in communication skills
2. To define listening skills and empathetic response in
communication skills.
3. To explore the mechanism of listening skills an
empathetic response.
4. To determine the effectiveness of listening skills and
empathetic response.
5. To study mechanism of listening skills and empathetic
response in communication skills
KEY ELEMENTS
Listening : The ability of hearing to another person and
understand your meaning.
Empathy : Enhance positive effect which concern more
about feeling clearly with better understand to build
relationship and to overcome the problems and the
challenges in the appropriate manner. The ability to
identify and understand another situation.
Mechanism : The pathway to study the objectives and to
understand clearly regarding the topic given. To
understand the current situation and adaptive to the real
life situation as pharmacist.
1
Lecturer, Discipline of Social Administrative Pharmacy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia.
2
1st Year Pharmacy Student, School Of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Island College of Technology.
CASE STUDY
Approach ( Situation ) Analysis
Patient suffering from celiac disease and come to Listening skills (active ) : Pharmacist determine
see pharmacist in order to seek an advice about the best ways to approach the patient ,convince,
medicament and prescription. and build trustworthy during drug therapy
counseling.
One of the patient family members do not trust Empathetic response; Pharmacist and patient or
pharmacist regarding the medicament treatment even family relate to the patient need to
understand each other ( feelings and emotion) .
Positive effect : Enhance relationship between
both parties.
Patient is a regular customer, who tends to be Listening skills and Empathetic response ;
Figure 1 : Mechanism of listening skills and empathetic response very harsh and very mean with the pharmacist. Pharmacist need to communicate to the patient in
appropriate way by using good listening skills and
empathetic response towards to the patient.
Pharmacist interact with patient suffering brain Listening skills and Empathetic response;
tumor and have very low morale. Pharmacist need to understand the patient
feelings and emotions and try to convince and
encourage the patient to overcome low morale.
Table 1 : Case study of listening skills and empathetic response in pharmacy practice.
DISCUSSION
In listening skill, the pharmacist must concentrate to the content of communication with
patient. Besides, responses are not necessary because the pharmacist only have to listen to the
patient. In addition, listening skill is involving in speaking clearly. For an example, the patient must
speak clearly and forcely to make the pharmacist understand about the whole content during the
communication.
Figure 2 : Improving ways in listening skills and empathetic response
Meanwhile, for the empathetic response, pharmacist does not have to concentrate to the content of
the communication. In empathetic response, the responses are needed. The pharmacist must gives
some responses to the patient. Moreover, empathetic response does not involve with speaking
clearly. For an example, it will be fine if the pharmacist does not understand about the content of the
conversation, but the pharmacist must understand about the patient’s feeling and give the positive
feedback.
CONCLUSION
An effective communication involves listening and empathetic responses. Therefore, its best
for a pharmacist to ensure that these two skills are well developed. This is eventually promotes a
role of a pharmacists as a health care provider.
 
REFERENCES
1.Communication Skills in Pharmacy Practice, 5th Edition (2007),Robert S. Beardsley (University of
Maryland School of Pharmacy),Carole L. Kimberlin (University of Florida College of Pharmacy), William N.
Figure 3 : Limitation and barrier towards listening skills and empathetic response Tindall (Wright State University School of Medicine Dayton , Ohio ), page 50-56.
2.Pharmacist Talking with patient (A guide to patient counseling ) ,2nd Edition(2006) ,Melanie J. Rantucci
(MJR Pharmacy Communication),page153-155.
3.Interpersonal Communication in pharmaceutical, Helen Meldrum (University of Connecticut),page 20-29.