At the service of society and the family - contemporary approaches to pharmacist ethics

The rapid development of medicine raises not only new technical and biomedical questions, but also ethical ones. Pharmacies and the pharmaceutical world as a whole, which also includes the industry and the sphere of trade in pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical services, are an important and constantly valued sector of the healthcare world. The aim of this article is to show contemporary models of pharmacist ethics in the light of which the identity of workers in this sector of the medical world can be read at the beginning of the third millennium. Different philosophical and anthropological perspectives are evoked: pharmaceutical deontology and the utilitarian model. The qualities of personalistic bioethics with an ontological foundation are particularly emphasised. In its light, the identity of the pharmacist as a worker in the medical sphere and the challenges of doing his or her job, for the good of the family and society, are discussed. Among the many challenges, important areas of the pharmacist's work are commented on. Firstly, the issue of service to health and life and the role of conscience in the practice of pharmacy is presented. Secondly, the issue of professional confidentiality and some of the ethical challenges associated with it are presented. Thirdly, the developing practice of Pharmaceutical Care, which is an interesting tool for enhancing the ethical level of the pharmacist-patient relationship, is evoked. The analyses discussed demonstrate that post-modern society, often shying away from recognising certain values, is nevertheless willing to respect and submit to certain ethical norms in the reality of the world of medicine
https://diametros.uj.edu.pl/diametros/article/view/1471