Pharmacy as a profession has changed rapidly in the UK over recent years. A decline in traditional aspects such as formulation has been matched by the emergence of a much greater advisory role. Research examining this change, however, has tended to focus on clinical rather than communication issues. This study takes a different approach, and represents the first application of the sociological method of conversation analysis to pharmacist/patient interaction. Using data collected from patients'' and carers'' consultations with pharmacists in a hospital paediatric oncology outpatient clinic, it aims to examine what is actually onvolved in the process of "patient counselling". The existing body of CA literature considering advice-giving in healthcare settings provides the starting point for this analysis. The book''s aims are twofold: to enlarge the methodological resources of pharmacy practice research, and to identify and examine the communicative competencies required of pharmacists in this setting. It should be especially useful for anyone interested in pharmacist/patient communication, or advice giving in healthcare settings more generally.