Patient feedback on hospital pharmacists’ consultation skills: A feasibility study using the Interpersonal Skills Questionnaire (ISQ)

BACKGROUND: Improvement in practitioners’ consultation skills (CSs) can be driven by patient feedback, however, to date, no study has been conducted with reference to pharmacy consultations. The Interpersonal Skills Questionnaire (ISQ) is potentially appropriate for collecting patient feedback on pharmacists’ CSs. This study aims to explore the feasibility of collecting patient feedback on hospital pharmacists’ CSs using the ISQ, to identify the acceptability of the feedback process, and to identify methods to enhance the process in the future. METHODS: The study was conducted in a teaching hospital, United Kingdom, between 2018 and 2019. A diverse sample of pharmacists with patient-facing roles was purposively selected. The study comprised three phases. Pharmacists collected feedback from patients following their consultation using the ISQ utilising a third person whenever possible (phase-1). Data analysis and individual report writing was conducted by a private company. Interviewing a sample of patient participants by telephone (phase-2), and interviewing pharmacists face-to-face after receiving feedback reports (phase-3). All interviews were transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed. The study received approval by the NHS Health Research Authority. RESULTS: Six pharmacists were included. Of the 119 distributed ISQs, 111 were returned (response rate 93%). Patients were mostly recruited by their consulting pharmacists (72%, n = 80). All pharmacists and 14 patients were interviewed. Participants were positive about patient feedback and its role in enhancing CSs. Most did not encounter any problem with the process, however, some pharmacists struggled to find a third person. The ISQ was mostly viewed suitable to assessing pharmacy consultations. Some reports highlighted areas to improve (e.g. protecting patient’s privacy). CONCLUSIONS: Collecting feedback is feasible, acceptable and may enhance CSs, however, the process was associated with challenges such as finding a third person. Several measures should be considered to make the process more feasible within the hospital pharmacy setting.