Pharmacist Ethics

• Ethics are part of philosophy dealing with moral issues in human life, concerning right and wrong
• Ethics can be significantly affected by culture and religion
• Ethical dilemmas exist when solutions are unclear or multiple answers exist

Pharmacist Ethics

• Pharmacists are essential as part of the healthcare multidisciplinary team
• Pharmacists ensure the safe and effective usage of medicines
• Community pharmacy connects health care with marketing

Ethical Challenges in Pharmacy Practice

• Ethical judgement and moral philosophy are needed for decision-making
• Reproductive therapy has issues related to contraception and abortion services
• Providing medications to those who cannot afford them presents dilemmas, regarding medication access
• Ethical considerations are present in sharing patient information, concerning patient confidentiality
• Concerns arise about marketing medications and influencing prescriptions, regarding promotional practices

Importance of Ethical Education

• Foundation involves basic understanding of moral philosophy and ethics
• Application is the ability to apply ethical principles to real-world scenarios
• Decision-making enhances capacity for ethical decision-making in complex situations
• Professional growth is the continuous development of ethical reasoning skills

Law

• Law: Sets minimum standards that everyone must meet
• There are three areas of law: criminal, civil, and administrative law
• Laws have moral basis; law, morality, and ethics are linked in medicine
• Administrative law regulates decision-making, while civil law addresses issues between individuals

Law Regarding Harm

• A patient can claim against a pharmacist for harm to them or their family
• Pharmacists prosecuted in criminal courts may face fines or license suspension

Hippocratic Oath

• The Hippocratic Oath is associated with medical practice, but fewer medical graduates take it
• The Hippocratic Oath has four parts: a pledge to a holy being, positive obligations, negative responsibilities, and piety

Declaration of Geneva

• The Declaration of Geneva is a modern version of the Hippocratic Oath, concerning:
• Making the patient's health the first consideration
• Consecrate life to serving humanity
• Respecting patient secrets, even after death
• Preventing considerations of religion, nationality, race, party politics, or social standing intervening between duty and patient
• Maintaining utmost respect for human life
• Not using medical knowledge contrary to the laws of humanity

Declaration of Helsinki

• The Declaration of Helsinki of 1964 was revised in 1975 and 1983
• Informed consent applied to medical experimentation following the 1947 Nuremberg Trials of Nazi war criminals
• In any research the subject's interests prevail over science’s discovery

Ethical Theories

• Virtue ethics theory: emphasis on the character of the person
• Utilitarian theory: evaluates actions by reference to the outcomes
• Deontological theory: evaluates actions regardless their consequences

Ethical Principles

• Autonomy is an ethical principle
• Beneficence is a ethical principle
• Non-maleficence is a ethical principle
• Justice is a ethical principle