Principles of Ethical Decision Making Flashcards
1
Q
Deontology
A
- Duty
- AKA “Idealist” (means and ends oriented)
- Both the outcome of the action and how you get there matters
- Certain acts may be wrong, therefore unethical, regardless of outcome
- Acts that violate our duties to others shouldn’t be undertaken
2
Q
Utilitarian Theory
A
- Consequentialist (ends oriented)
- Achievement of goals are the primary source of happiness
- Only the final outcome matters, you can use any means necessary to get there
- Correct ethical choice is the one that leads to the greatest amount of good for the greatest number of people
3
Q
Ethical Principles
A
- Beneficence
- Nonmaleficence
- Autonomy
- Justice
- Confidentiality
- Veracity
- Promise-keeping
Consequentialist only use first four, Idealist use all seven
4
Q
Beneficence
A
- Do anything you can to help the patient
- Requires action that has a positive effect
- Prevent bad outcome, remove something bad, promote good
- Acts of omission violates the principle
5
Q
Nonmaleficence
A
- Do no harm
- No problem with not acting (omission)
- Acting could cause a problem: deliberate harmful acts, unintentional acts
6
Q
Autonomy
A
- Respect for person/patient: treat them as competent as independent decision-makers
- Person/patient should make own decisions if it affects them: freedom to choose, respect their choices
- Each person has their own unique view and should be able to act on their views: even if action is foolish or unwise
- Decisions that infringe upon the rights of others do not need to be respected
7
Q
Justice
A
- Fairness and equity: equals are treated equally
- Pharmacy should be available equally to all
- Do pharmacy services meet the ethical standard of justice? W/O insurance, socially unacceptable disease, homeless, health disparities
8
Q
Confidentiality
A
- Health information is confidential
- Patients do not give up their rights in this respect
- HIPPA: share information in context of job fxn
- Legal implications of not maintaining confidentiality
9
Q
Veracity
A
- Truthfulness
- Patient’s right to know
- Telling the truth about all aspects of medical treatment, including potential outcomes, and side effects
- Full disclosure
10
Q
Promise Keeping
A
- Pharmacists should keep their promises to patients
- Classification as a professional: promise to society
11
Q
Duties of Pharmacist
A
Technical Role
- Filling prescriptions correctly in appropriate quality
- Guardian of nation’s drug supply
Professional Status
- Societal right/duty: rational and efficient drug therapy
- Individualized rather than mass-produced
- Altruism: benefit to others at self-expense
Promotion of Rational Drug Therapy
- Assure therapy is correct
- Encourage compliance
- Give enough information to make decisions
Patient Advocacy
- Shown interest in patient
- Do what is best for them
- Ensure their right to make decisions for themselves
12
Q
Duties Towards Patients
A
- Autonomy
- Confidentiality
- Honesty
- Avoiding Harm
13
Q
Duties Toward Society
A
- Confidentiality
- Justice
- Public Health
14
Q
Duties Towards Colleagues
A
- Territorial rights (roles)
- Cooperation
- Fair competition
- Reporting malfeasance
- Monitoring colleagues
- Preventing unauthorized practice
15
Q
Barriers to Ethical Practice
A
- Temptation to do nothing
- Business versus professional standards
- Subservient posture to physician
- Lack of knowledge of ethical decision making
- Complexity of health care: hard to know what the benefit will be in complex ethical decisions
