These allow for greater freedom of response and let the patient have more involvement. It is true that longer answers are likely and perhaps that some of the information offered may be irrelevant. As a result, much more careful listening is required. Typical open questions that can be used are 'Tell me more about the type of pain' or 'Describe the pain to me'.

Inexperienced medicine counter assistants may use an inappropriate blend of open and closed questions, may not use the common mnemonic 'WWHAM' properly or may ask the questions in an inappropriate manner. It is in all of these scenarios that you need to be monitoring what is happening and take corrective, but supportive, action and use performance coaching.

Encourage staff to use an appropriate blend of both open and closed questions to first find out more about the person and their symptoms (open) and then to tighten the focus and probe for specific details (closed). The technique is like a funnel that starts broadly and then narrows.

Another common mistake is to assume that everyone knows the routine and to launch straight into a series of quick fire questions. This can make the interaction seem more like an interrogation. Ensure that you and your staff set the scene for the questioning thatfollows. In the first place, irrespective of whether the request is for a specific medicine or for advice on symptoms, people need to know why the questions are being asked.

Experience shows that some customers may find a series of questions as pointless or even impertinent. This is a problem when questions are asked without thought or with no explanation. Setting the scene is therefore very important. Saying something like 'I need to ask you a few questions to find out a little bit more about your cough and so we can decide what will be the best thing to do', is a good way of starting.

A structured approach can and will work to improve the quality of advice you can provide. The logical sequence of questions that ensures nothing is missed, whereas a random sequence is likely to confuse both the patient and the person asking them. This is why mnemonics are helpful €“ but only if they are used intelligently. You have a vital role to play in sharing your expertise in this area with your medicine counter staff, giving them the confidence and competence they need.