Ethical considerations 2 Flashcards
Where to revise ethics?
MEP
What is the importance of raising concers?
- Duty of care
- Protecting people receiving care
- Public safety
What principles are culture based upon?
fairness
quality
transparency
reporting
learning
safety
Patient safety is maintained by healthcare professionals being candid and raising concerns and learning from incidents to improve systems, standards, policies, legislation and people
What to raise concerns about?
- The people pharmacist professionals come into contact with during the course of their work e.g. pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, pharmacy owners, other healthcare professionals or people responsible for providing care for others e.g. carers.
- Behaviours, competency, the working environment and any action that may compromise an individual’s safety.
Reporting concerns on site or off site (e.g. placement)
Bullying and harassment
Unprofessional practice in clinical staff - a professional whose health or fitness to practise may be impaired
Poor patient care – abuse of a person receiving care, patient harm
Breach of patient confidentiality
Lack of professionalism online
Irresponsible or illegal prescribing
A crime, or a civil offence (e.g. illegal diversion of medicines)
A miscarriage of justice
How to use Professional empowerment
for raising concers;
Find out the organisation’s policy
Report without delay
Report to the immediate supervisor
Report to another suitable person in authority or an outside body
Keep a record
Maintain confidentiality
Example; not happy with the prescription that an IP consultant made = 3 weeks worth of diazepam
REFUSE to dispense - prescription not suitable
CAN report if needed
DO NOT supply more than a weeks worth of diazepam
The Law
The PIDA* sets out a step-by-step approach to raising and escalating concerns.
The PIDA aims to protect employees from unfair treatment or victimisation from their employer if they have made certain disclosures of information in the public interest.
Under the PIDA pharmacy professionals should raise a concern about issues which have happened, or which they reasonably believe are likely to happen.
Why complaints or concerns arise?
- Human error
- System failure
- How a complaint or concern is handled in the pharmacy
What to do in the event of a dispensing error?
1- Establish if the patient has taken any of the incorrect medicine
2- Inspect the incorrect medicine
3- Apologise
4- Never try to minimise the seriousness of the incident
5- Make a supply of the correct medicine ordered on the prescription, if appropriate
6- Establish their expectations
7- Provide details of how to complain to an ‘official body’ if requested
8- Try and establish what happened and what went wrong
Why is it important to maintain clear sexual boundaries?
When healthcare professionals cross personal and professional boundaries, the result for people under their care can be serious and can cause harm.
Crossing these boundaries can damage public trust and confidence in the pharmacy profession and other healthcare professions.
People receiving care must be able to trust that pharmacy professionals will act in their best interests.
If pharmacy professionals are sexually, or inappropriately involved with a person under their care their professional judgement can be affected. This involvement may affect the decisions that they make about a person’s healthcare.
Power imbalance
People receiving care are in a vulnerable position.
Power imbalance may be because personal information is shared with the pharmacy professional.
Pharmacy professionals should always be clear with the person receiving care about the reason for an examination or why they want them to come into the consultation room.
The person receiving care should be given all the information they need and the opportunity to ask questions, and they should give their consent before the pharmacy professional goes with them into a consultation room.
Sexualised behaviour and breaches of sexual boundaries
Sexualised behaviour is defined as ‘acts, words or behaviour designed to arouse or gratify sexual impulses or desires’.
A breach of sexual boundaries is not limited to criminal acts, such as rape or sexual assault. For example, carrying out an unnecessary physical examination or asking for details of sexual orientation when it is not necessary or relevant, would both be a breach.
Examples of breaching of sexual behaviour?
revealing intimate personal details about themselves to a person under their care during a consultation
giving or accepting social invitations
visiting a home of a person under their care without an appointment
asking questions unrelated to a person’s health
Avoiding breaches of sexual boundaries
Discuss this with an impartial colleague, a pharmacy organisation that represents them, a professional leadership body or their professional indemnity insurance provider.
find other care for the person e.g. another pharmacy professional
If a person receiving care shows sexualised behaviour towards a pharmacy professional, the pharmacy professional should address the matter in a constructive way and try to re-establish a professional relationship, or transfer the person’s care to another pharmacy professional.
Have a chaperone
REMEMBER Cultural differences can affect a person’s view of their personal boundaries and what is appropriate.
