Professional Ethics and Standards Flashcards
7 cards from real KAPS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Professional Ethics and Standards flashcards as text
A pharmacist discovers that a colleague has been routinely shortchanging controlled substance quantities to patients. What is the pharmacist's primary ethical obligation?
Answer: Report the colleague to the state board of pharmacy
Pharmacists have a professional and legal duty to report colleagues who engage in illegal or unethical conduct that endangers patients to the appropriate regulatory authority.
Under HIPAA, which of the following constitutes a permissible disclosure of protected health information (PHI) without patient authorization?
Answer: Disclosing information to public health authorities to control disease
HIPAA permits disclosure of PHI to public health authorities for activities such as disease control without patient authorization under the public interest exception.
Which ethical principle is most directly applied when a pharmacist ensures that a patient with limited English proficiency receives counseling in their native language?
Answer: Justice
Justice requires fair and equitable treatment of all patients; providing language-appropriate counseling ensures equal access to care regardless of linguistic background.
A pharmacy intern witnesses the pharmacist-in-charge approve a prescription that appears to be forged. The intern's best course of action is to:
Answer: Refuse to dispense and document the incident for reporting to the board
Pharmacy interns must not dispense fraudulent prescriptions and are obligated to document and report unethical or illegal conduct by supervisors to the appropriate authority.
The concept of 'conscientious objection' in pharmacy practice most appropriately requires that the pharmacist:
Answer: Ensure the patient can obtain the medication through timely referral to another provider
Conscientious objection is ethically acceptable only when the pharmacist ensures continuity of care by promptly referring the patient to an accessible alternative source.
A pharmacist is offered a gift from a pharmaceutical sales representative in exchange for recommending their product. According to professional ethics standards, the pharmacist should:
Answer: Decline all gifts that could influence prescribing or dispensing recommendations
Accepting gifts from pharmaceutical companies that could influence professional judgment creates a conflict of interest and violates ethical standards of independence and patient-centered care.
When a pharmacist suspects a patient is experiencing intimate partner violence, the most appropriate ethical response is to:
Answer: Provide resources and a safe environment to disclose while respecting patient autonomy
Pharmacists should sensitively offer resources and create a safe opportunity for disclosure while respecting that the patient is the decision-maker regarding their own situation.