Standards and Values of Pharmacy Profession – PST04208 Law and Ethics in Pharmacy Practice
NTA Level 4 • Semester 2 • PST04208 Standards and Values of Pharmacy Profession Law and Ethics in Pharmacy Practice • Source Session/Topic 5 Full source-text version: all educational wording from the extracted learning source is retained; only presenter/tutor metadata and web-layout noise are removed, while formatting is improved for readability. 5. Standards and Values of Pharmacy Profession Students Learning Tasks By the end of this session students are expected to be able to: Define profession Explain standards of pharmacy profession Explain core values of pharmacy profession Definition of Profession Professions are dynamic; a definition is static. This makes any definition of a profession temporary from the very start. A generally recognized definition can, however, serve as a basis for a description of professionalism which takes into account the permanent factors whilst at the same time looking ahead to the development of the profession. A frequently used definition of (the medical) ‘profession’ is that of Cruess and Cruess (2004): Profession: an occupation whose core element is work based upon the mastery of a complex body of knowledge and skills. It is a vocation in which knowledge of some department of Science or learning or the practice of an art founded upon it is used in the service of others. Its members are governed by codes of ethics and profess a commitment to competence, Integrity and morality, altruism, and the promotion of the public good within their domain. These commitments form the basis of a social contract between a profession and society, which in return grants the profession a monopoly over the use of its knowledge base, the right to considerable autonomy in practice and the privilege of self-regulation. Professions and their members are accountable to those served and to society. The above definition emphasizes autonomy in practice. The practice of every professional, and therefore also that of the pharmacist, comprises four components Meet a social need or necessity within the practice; A clear stance regarding the responsibility of the individual professional for meeting the social needs The expectation to work in the patient’s interest A requirement to work within the healthcare paradigm. Standards of Pharmacy Profession Purpose of standards: Ensure that a learner possesses relevant competencies to undertake the roles and services described in his/ her scope of practice Assist in the development of education and training and development e.g. inform development of initial curriculum; assist providers in identifying learning outcomes; use as a self- assessment tool to evaluate their own level of competency; assist employers and learners to identify ongoing training and development needs Assist the individuals to facilitate their continuing professional development (CPD) e.g. a tool for all to use to assess their own practice. The Competence Standards for the Pharmacy Profession consist of seven standards. Supported by professional codes of ethics, competence standards describe the skills, attitudes and other attributes (including values and beliefs) attained by an individual based on knowledge and experience. They specify the application of that knowledge and skills to the standards of performance required in a practice setting. Together they enable the individual to practice effectively as pharmaceutical personnel. The value of competence standards rests with their capacity to support and facilitate professional practice and growth, in the interests of public safety. The seven broad areas of competency are: Practice Pharmacy in a Professional and Culturally Competent Manner Contribute to the Quality Use of Medicines Provide Primary Health Care Apply Management and Organization Skills Research and Provide Information Dispense Medicines Prepare Pharmaceutical Product STANDARD 1 Practice Pharmacy in a Professional and Culturally Competent Manner The Pharmacy Council recognizes that cultural competence, clinical competence and ethical Conducts are integral to professional pharmacy practice. Professionalism is encompassed by a set of attitudes, knowledge and skills based on clinical competence, communication skills, ethics, societal and legal requirements resulting in the application of behaviors that demonstrate a commitment to excellence, respect, integrity, empathy and accountability. This standard outlines these responsibilities which apply to all pharmacists, regardless of their pharmacy practice. Cultural competence is the ability to interact respectfully and effectively with persons from a background that is different from one’s own. It goes beyond an awareness of or sensitivity to another culture to include the ability to use that knowledge in cross-cultural situations, and includes the development and implementation of processes, procedures and practices that support the delivery of culturally competent (appropriate) services. Clinical competence, as expected of a pharmacist, is the application of knowledge and skills to ensure the safe and quality use of medicines to optimize health outcomes. Ethical conduct, as described in the Pharmacy Council Code of Ethics, is the expression of those principles and values that underpin the pharmacy profession STANDARD 2: Contribute to the Quality use of Medicines This competence standard covers the role of the pharmacist in promoting the quality use of medicines within an environment of professional pharmaceutical care. The Pharmacist’s role includes selecting, recommending, monitoring and evaluating medicine therapy as part of a health care team. Rational medicine use refers to the evidence-based selection, monitoring and evaluation of medicine therapy in order to optimize health outcomes. STANDARD 3: Provide Primary Health Care This competence standard concerns the role of the pharmacist in encouraging and assisting people to take responsibility for their own health. Primary health incorporates holistic care of patients including attention to lifestyle, diet, health promotion, illness prevention, referral and the supply of non-prescription medicines, therapies, diagnostic and therapeutic aids. This involves the pharmacist in treatment, referral and education STANDARD 4: Apply Management and Organization Skills This competence standard covers the organization and management skills common to all pharmacists. It encompasses the ability to deal with contingencies in the workplace as well as routine work. STANDARD 5: Research and Provide information This competence standard covers the role of the pharmacist in providing health-related information to other health professionals, patients and the public. The pharmacist’s role includes finding, interpreting, and evaluating, compiling, summarizing, generating and disseminating information, for the purpose of optimizing medicine related health outcomes. STANDARD 6:
