The ethics of pharmacy practice: an empirical and philosophical study

Deans, Zuzana

Abstract

This thesis explores some of the dilemmas pharmacists face in their work, and argues that a combined philosophical and empirical approach is essential for understanding pharmacy ethics.

The aims of the research were to discover (i) the types of ethical problems that occur in pharmacy practice; (ii) how often these problems occur; (iii) the decisions pharmacists make when faced with certain ethical problems; (iv) pharmacists’ understanding of ethics; (v) what the respective roles of empirical and philosophical research in applied ethics ought to be; (vi) what the role of the individual professional in ethical decision-making ought to be.

The research took a multi-disciplinary approach. Empirical methods included focus groups with community pharmacists, pharmacists training to become supplementary prescribers, and pre-registration pharmacy students. The quantitative questionnaire was sent to community, hospital and primary care practice pharmacists. Philosophical analysis was used throughout, but most directly to address aims (v) and (vi).

It was found that pharmacists face a range of ethical problems in their work. The most common were: receiving an unsigned prescription; being asked for emergency hormonal contraception over the counter; receiving a prescription lacking full information; a patient returning unused, in-date, unopened medication; and a family member requesting confidential information about a patient.

Pharmacists were found to take a ‘patchwork’ approach to ethics, relying on a combination of common sense, official guidance, strict rules, professional obligations, and professional autonomy. Pharmacists understood ethics as being a mixture of personal opinion, peer consensus, culture and institutional rules.

It is argued that professionalism requires individual decision-making and the acceptance of responsibility for action within the boundaries of the core values of the profession. It is concluded that philosophy and empirical research are both essential in applied ethics, and that the future research agenda in pharmacy practice needs to take this into account.

Citation

Deans, Z. The ethics of pharmacy practice: an empirical and philosophical study. (Thesis). Keele University. Retrieved from https://keele-repository.worktribe.com/output/1073476

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Feb 10, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 10, 2025
• Keywords: Research Institute for Law, Politics and Justice.
• Public URL: https://keele-repository.worktribe.com/output/1073476
• Award Date: 2007