Ethical awareness of community pharmacists

Abstract

Abstract Objective To explore the extent to which community pharmacists in the United Kingdom encounter and resolve ethical dilemmas in their daily work. Method Semi-structured interviews were carried out with a sample of community pharmacists representing a range of ages and pharmacy backgrounds. Two were from independent pharmacies and five from multiples. Key findings Analysis of the transcripts of the interviews showed that ethical dilemmas were a feature of community pharmacy although most of the pharmacists were not conversant with the details of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's Code of Ethics. The examples of ethical dilemmas quoted could be classified and interpreted to demonstrate a knowledge of the basic ethical concepts and the wider legal, occupational, organisational and personal value sets which encompass ethics in the work place. Ethical dilemmas arose as a result of the pharmacist's role as supplier of prescription medicines, guardian of over-the-counter medicines and intermediary between patient and carer/doctor. Other dilemmas were related to the legal framework surrounding medicines as well as the organisational, occupational and personal values of the pharmacist. Conclusion The pharmacists in this study demonstrated awareness of ethical issues and their accounts indicate possession of practical skills to deal with moral uncertainty.