TY  - JOUR
AB  - Purpose Based on the developmental process of pharmacy in medical relationships, it is essential to pay attention to ethical issues in this field and develop a good pharmacist–patient relationship. The present study aimed to mention the frequency of ethical challenges of pharmacy in Iran as a fundamental step towards designing a practical ethical guideline for professionals.Design/methodology/approach In this observational study, data were collected using a two-part questionnaire with 64 items developed after examining relevant texts and conducting unstructured interviews with pharmacy specialists. The first part determined the frequency of ethical challenges that the pharmacist confronts, using 43 short scenarios, whereas the second part comprised 21 questions with short answers. For validation, the questionnaire was sent to 20 medical ethics specialists who were familiar with issues in pharmacy ethics.Findings Data were collected from 48 members of the Iranian Association of Pharmacists (Working Group of Hospital Pharmacists). and the frequency of ethical challenges was determined. The most frequent issues were patient's request for over-the-counter drugs, asking about their lab results, asking drug for another person and returning the drug.Research limitations/implications One of the limitation of our study is its population, there were hospital pharmacist, other pharmacist such as community pharmacist may face different challenges.Practical implications The finding of this study could lead the policymakers to develop ethical guidelines for pharmacy practices.Social implications The pharmacist–patient relationship is one of the important aspects of health system, and therefore regulating this relationship based on the professional ethics guidelines could have a positive impact on therapeutic relationships.Originality/value Results showed that designing codes of ethics and practical guidelines based on the frequency of the noted challenges enhances the quality of treatment, improves the pharmacist–patient relationship, increases the level of cooperation and decreases patient complaints.
VL  - 13
IS  - 4
SN  - 2056-4902
DO  - 10.1108/IJHRH-01-2020-0001
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHRH-01-2020-0001
AU  - Delpasand Kourosh
AU  - Nazari Tavakkoli Saeid
AU  - Kiani Mehrzad
AU  - Abbasi Mahmoud
AU  - Afshar Leila
PY  - 2020
Y1  - 2020/01/01
TI  - Ethical challenges in the relationship between the pharmacist and patient in Iran
T2  - International Journal of Human Rights in Healthcare
PB  - Emerald Publishing Limited
SP  - 317
EP  - 323
Y2  - 2024/09/19
ER  -