The Scope of pharmacy ethics—an evaluation of the international research literature

Abstract

This paper attempts to provide a critical overview of international published discourse relating to ethical issues in
pharmacy practice from 1990 to 2002. We found that there is little research literature specifically addressing ethics in
pharmacy practice and almost none addressing fundamental philosophical issues or values for pharmacy ethics. There is
no dedicated journal for pharmacy ethics. Most material relating to pharmacy ethics is articulated as codes or
pronouncements from professional bodies, as opinion or reflection in textbooks and in debate such as letters and
articles. However, this should not be taken to mean that pharmacy and ethics are strangers; simply that such matters are
not frequently analysed in published pharmacy literature. The presumption is usually that most matters of pharmacy
ethics are very familiar and require no exploration or explanation.
Where the research literature does target ethical issues, the most common method is to employ ‘‘the scenario
approach’’. This term describes the technique of using a vignette or scenario from actual pharmacy practice and then
exploring a variety of possible options to identify one or more defensible solutions. The vast majority of scenario s
related to the delivery of healthcare per se; rather fewer derived from delivery of healthcare in a commercial
environment. One notable exception to this approach is the body of work by Latif and colleagues on moral reasoning
and community pharmacy practice.