Pharmacist–Patient Communication in Prostate Cancer as a Strategy to Humanize Health Care: A Qualitative Study

Background:Pharmacists require effective communication skills to enhance involvement in patient care. Nevertheless, there are few qualitative studies exploring “how” pharmacist–patient communication occurs and none targets patients with cancer.Objective:To describe the perceptions of outpatients with prostate cancer regarding the communication process during clinical pharmacy service in a community pharmacy.Methods:A qualitative study was performed from semistructured interviews with 10 patients. These interviews were audiotape-recorded and transcribed comprehensively, and the data were analyzed using content analysis. The validation of the categories and registration units was made by 2 independent authors and reviewed by a third author.Results:Three categories were established from the content analysis (general perceptions of the pharmacist–patient communication, potentialities of effective communication, and points for improvement). Communication is a complex process and involves, in addition to inform...