More than Words:The Interplay between Forms of Communication and Emotional Intelligence in Pharmaceutical Care

Abstract

Background: This study investigates the impact of emotional intelligence on communication in the pharmacist-patient relationship, where effective communication is crucial to treatment outcomes and the overall therapeutic process.Objective: The research aimed to examine how empathy, emotional self-regulation, and social skills influence verbal, non-verbal, and paraverbal communication in community pharmacy.Methodology: A quantitative descriptive-correlational cross-sectional design was employed for this study. Specifically, an online questionnaire consisting of 25 items was distributed to a sample of 246 community pharmacists. Jamovi-type analyses were conducted, which included descriptive statistics, Spearman correlations, multiple linear regression, independent t-tests, and ANOVA.Results: The results indicated significant correlations among several variables. There was a positive correlation between empathy and the use of non-verbal communication (ρ = 0.187; p = 0.003), between emotional self-regulation and paraverbal modulation (adjustments in voice tone; ρ = 0.245; p < 0.001), and between social skills and the clarity of verbal communication (ρ = 0.224; p < 0.001). Conclusion: Multiple regression analyses showed that empathy and social skills predicted the clarity of verbal explanations, self-regulation predicted the use of nonverbal language, while both self-regulation and empathy predicted the adaptation of voice tone. The results emphasize the vital importance of emotional skills, particularly empathy and self-regulation, improving communication between pharmacists and patients. This analysis could be further developed and integrated into pharmacist education and ongoing professional development.