Ethics and Professionalism: Pharmacy Profession

Abstract

Pharmacy is regarded as one of the most trusted professions in the world. Doctors are very important part of our society. They diagnose the disease and prescribe the medicines for the treatment of the diseases. Like Doctors, Pharmacist is also very important personality because he formulates the medicines, which are prescribed by doctors. So, we can say that without pharmacist, doctors cannot improve the public health and cannot cure the disease. Pharmacist is the backbone of medical profession. Without his expertise, doctors cannot do anything. They cannot fully cure the ill person. Pharmacist not only formulate the medicine, which are prescribed by physician, he also assesses the suitability of the medication for particular patient considering their medical history as well as the pharmacist tells us about the side effects of drug and interaction with other drugs and give clear understanding of the medication. Purpose of the study: Discussion and projection about pharmacy profession and its characteristics, professional behavior and ethical aspects. The pharmacists have a vital role to play healthcare associate as well as provider. Findings: Pharmacists are yet to get their status as a healthcare provider. Materials and Methods: Research conducted a comprehensive year-round literature search, which included books, technical newsletters, newspapers, journals, and many other sources. Medicine and technical experts, pharma company executives and representatives were interviewed. Projections were based on all ethical and professional aspects pharmacists need to cover. Research limitations: Pharmacists are not the sole healthcare providers. The article comprises only ethical issues of pharmacists in healthcare profession. Practical Implication: The soul of this article was to detail pharmacy profession and ethics. Along with students, researchers and professionals of different background and disciplines, eg. Pharmacists, marketers, doctors, nurses, hospital authorities, public representatives, policy makers and regulatory authorities have to acquire much from this article. Social Implication: Pharmacists have several scopes to work in healthcare system in a country like Bangladesh as there is a scarcity of resources, fewer access to general people for adequate and better treatment. The article should contribute an integrated discussion about the importance of pharmacy professionals at different levels of healthcare settings.