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Pharmacy law - Ethics and professional practice
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Pharmacy law - Ethics and professional practice
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Law 1: Ethics & professionalpractice - 18.10
⚡ Learning outcomes:
Difference between ethics and morals.
Ethics, morals and consequences in practice.
Ethics and law.
Safeguarding vulnerable people.
⚡ Difference between ethics and morals.
While they are sometimes used interchangeably, they are different, but can be used together.
Ethics examines the rational justification for our moral judgments; it studies
what is morally right or wrong, just, or unjust. Often ethics are provided by an
external source such as codes of conduct in a workplace or principles in
religions. As pharmacists our external source would be from the GPhC or
hospital trust.
✨ Morals are formed out of a person's values. Values are the foundation of a
person's ability to judge between right and wrong. Can be made up of a
combination of own principles and thoughts from others.
Four Principles of Ethics:
Non-maleficence
Beneficence
Justice
Law 1: Ethics & professional practice - 18.10 1
, Respect for Autonomy
Ethics and Practice 2
✨ Non-maleficence holds that there is an obligation not to inflict harm on
others.
This is a fundamental principle for most healthcare professions, it is the principle of do
no harm. As HP there is a duty of care towards patients therefore it is important to make
sure you do not inflict harm.
Acting within the best interest of the patient i.e., a faxed prescription is not legal,
however you may dispense as an emergency script as it ensures the patient gets the
medication that they need.
✨ Beneficence, in medical ethics, is understood as a principle requiring that
physicians provide, and to the best of their ability, positive benefits such as
good health, prevent and remove harmful conditions from patients.
It is important to promote the health of each patient in a positive manner that will act in
their best interest. It often can be an area of conflict with respecting the patients of
autonomy (4th principle of ethics).
It often involves weighing up the risks vs benefits.
Beneficence vs non-maleficence
This is one of the most common ethical dilemmas arises in the balancing of beneficence
and non-maleficence. This balance is the one between the benefits and risks of
treatment and plays a role in nearly every medical decision such as whether to order a
particular test, medication, procedure, operation, or treatment. Each of these whilst
being beneficial to the patient carry a risk and may cause harm.
The key to this balance is ensuring the patient is given the information necessary to
understand the full potential of the risks and benefits to make a well-informed decision.
In its simplest form ensuring the patient understands risk involved with taken any
medication, e.g., side effects. Ultimately it is the patients who gives meaning to the
risk/benefit what is important to them. For the action to be ethical, potential benefits of
any intervention must outweigh the risks for the action to be ethical.
Ethics and Practice 3
Example: In pregnancy a lot of medication can present a risk to the fetus, therefore it is
important to present the mother with the risks to the baby from the medication but also
the benefits of the medication. This will allow her to make an informed decision as to
whether she thinks it is worth taking the medication.
✨ Justice means giving each person what he or she deserves or, in more
traditional terms, giving each person his or her due.
Law 1: Ethics & professional practice - 18.10 2
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