Pharmacist code of ethics for

American Pharmaceutical Association. 1984. Code of Ethics for Pharmacists. Washington, DC American Pharmaceutical Association. 

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain s Code of Ethics for Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians is based on seven principles. A pharmacist or technician must endeavour to ... 

American Pharmaceutical Association. Code of ethics for pharmacists. Am. J. Health-Syst. Pharm. 1995, 52, 2131. 

Bioethics is a relatively new field of study concerning the investigation of ethical issues in medicine, health care, and the life sciences. From the standpoint of bioethics, clinical pharmacy research presents no novel ethical questions however, the type and scope of issues involved differ from those faced by other practitioners. It is important for pharmacists to be aware of the ethical issues, give thoughtful consideration to them, and be sensitive to how they may affect their involvement in research. The current Code of Ethics for the practice of pharmacy virtually neglects issues encountered by pharmacists as they conduct clinical research. ... 

With the Code of Ethics suggesting that pharmacists not discuss drug therapies with their patients, the profession lost sight of the need for pharmacists to communicate effectively with patients and other health care professionals. As the number of hospital and chain pharmacies expanded, resulting in pharmacists being more likely to be employees rather than business owners, the importance of practice management skills was not stressed in schools of pharmacy. Ironically, studies such as the Dichter Report commissioned by the APhA revealed that consumers regarded pharmacists more as merchants than as health care professionals (Maine and Penna, 1996). 

Webster s Dictionary defines a standard as something established by authority, custom, or general consent as a model or example and states that standard applies to any definite rule, principle, or measure established by authority (standards of behavior) (Webster s, 2003). From a contemporary managerial perspective, standards of conduct for a pharmacist and for the operation of a pharmacy are derived both from laws and from professional standards or values. Standards for professional conduct and the operation of a pharmacy, whether stated formally in statutes and regulations or present in professional codes of ethics, are important for managers to understand and apply. Violations of these standards can affect the licensure status of a pharmacy practice site and/or its pharmacists, may result in litigation if a patient is harmed subsequent to a violation, and in the most serious cases can result in criminal prosecution. Both criminal prosecution and civil liability resulted in the case of Robert Courtney, the pharmacist discussed in the scenario. Courtney was sentenced to 30 years in prison, fined 25,000, and ordered to pay 10.4 million in restitution to the patients and families affected. These penalties were in addition to the civil judgment of 2.2 billion (Stafford, 2002). 

The General Optical Council (GOC) code of ethics also states that the optometrist must include their GOC number to enable a pharmacist to check on the GOC register for opticians with the same name. 

---