Characteristics of the Violation of Pharmacy Code of Ethics and the Verdicts of Pharmacy Council

Abstract

Objective: To study the characteristics of infringement of pharmacy professional ethics and the consistency of the verdict by the Pharmacy Council.  Method: The researcher collected the data from the order of Pharmacy Council issued by the seventh committee (2013-2015) for the punishment of 108 cases of ethical violation. The researcher subsequently analyzed the content of violation and punishment. Results: Most of the violators (17.6%) mainly worked in business area or in personal business. Professional practice most involving in the violation of ethics was that in community pharmacy (35.2% of the total violation), 76.9% of violators in drugstores were practicing pharmacists. Most of the cases (81.5%) involved the breaking of the Drug Act i.e., absence from drugstores during official practicing hours (60.2% of the cases). Most of these cases (95.4% of the cases) involved the violation of ethics in pharmacy profession in item 1 (compliance to the law), item 2 (not tarnishing prestige of the profession) and item 6 (maintaining standard of pharmacy practice at the highest level). In addition, 1.9% of the cases were breaching of the regulation on limits and conditions on professional practice in item 5.1 (sell, dispense or deliver dangerous drugs, specially controlled drugs, psychotropic drugs and narcotics by the pharmacists themselves. Most of the final verdicts of pharmacy council with license suspension specified a 12 month duration of suspension (50% of the cases with license suspension). The verdicts of pharmacy council with the same charge of violation but with different punishment were due to difference of elements of the cases such as severity of wrongdoings or confession of wrongdoers. Conclusion: The majority of wrongdoing pharmacists violated Drug Act by absence from drugstores during the registered time with the verdict of 12 month license suspension. The verdicts of pharmacy council committee were consistent in each case.