Lisa Guirguis, BSc Pharm, MSc, PhD

Area of Study / Keywords

Pharmacy Practice Patient Communication Health Literacy Pharmacist Innovation Pharmacist Prescribing

About

Lisa Guirguis is an Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies for the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Alberta. She conducts pharmacy practice research that influences health policy and supports pharmacists’ roles in patient-centred care. Her teaching focuses on practical techniques pharmacists can use to engage patients in dialogue about their medications. 

Research

I am interested in conducting pharmacy practice research that influences health policy and expands community pharmacists’ roles in patient‐centred care. My research program is designed to evaluate the impact of community pharmacists’ adoption of practice tools, innovations, and communication skills on patient care practices and patient outcomes. Findings will help decisions‐makers, pharmacists, other health care professionals, and patients recognize community pharmacists’ roles in ensuring safe and effective medication use and reducing medication‐related morbidity and mortality.

1. Pharmacists Adoption of Practice Innovations. Community pharmacists in Alberta are facing an unprecedented scope of practice where they are able to access electronic health records, prescribe medications, provide injections, and order laboratory values. I am applying social theory to understand pharmacists’ response to these innovations and to inform the development of pharmacy specific theory through qualitative methods. This research will support pharmacists’ transition from product to patient focused care.
2. Patient‐Pharmacist Communication. As pharmacists’ care is evolving, patient‐pharmacist communications are shifting from pharmacists’ provision of generic biomedical information to an interactive dialogue to create patient‐specific care plans. Audio recording of patient pharmacist interactions and pharmacist “think alouds” have been employed to characterize communication practices and explore the effectiveness of communication skills.

Teaching

My teaching goals are to foster a sense of curiosity in patients’ experiences with medications and build knowledge and communication skills that enable students to deliver patient centred care. I teach with a combination of lectures and problem‐based learning. While some didactic lectures are important to convey information to students, engaged learning activities allows students to develop the skills needed for pharmacy practice.

LM Guirguis

2020 November;

LM Guirguis

2020 November;