Pharmaceutical ethics: situational analysis of the state and problems

Abstract

Introduction. Pharmaceutical ethics is the science of moral norms of pharmacists’ behavior in the process of their professional activity. The work of pharmacists in modern conditions is accompanied by new challenges (the development of technology and artificial intelligence), and even danger, given the recent Covid-19 pandemic and the current military actions of Russia on the territory of our country. The purpose of our research was to study the current state and problems in pharmaceutical ethics. Materials and methods. Research materials were scientific publications on pharmaceutical ethics and ethical problems in pharmacy, Codes of Pharmaceutical Ethics of Ukraine, Poland, USA, Canada, and Spain. The methods of the system approach, analysis, synthesis, comparison, generalization and the questionnaire survey method were used. Research results. It has been established that the most common ethical problems in the modern pharmaceutical field are conflicts between the patient's right to autonomy and his health interests, as well as between the patient's right to information and the obligation to follow the doctor's recommendations; the presence of queues in pharmacies, problems with the dispensing of medicines with incorrectly written prescriptions. A comparative analysis of the Ethical Codes of Pharmacists of Ukraine, the USA, Poland, Spain, and Canada showed that, in general, their content is very similar, in particular, in matters of providing patient-centered pharmaceutical care. A questionnaire for surveying pharmacists on the topic of pharmaceutical ethics was developed, it was tested and preliminary results were obtained, indicating a high degree of theoretical knowledge of pharmaceutical ethics norms among pharmacists. Conclusion. Pharmaceutical ethics is one of the basic components of the activities of pharmacists, and the modern world poses new challenges in the form of artificial intelligence, pandemics, and wars, which affect pharmaceutical practice. Professional ethics of pharmacists includes their responsibility to ensure the patients` interests, including their rights to autonomy, privacy, confidentiality and information rights.