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 working for a chain pharmacy is instructed by management to meet dispensing quotas that compromise adequate patient counseling. The pharmacist should:
Answer: Refuse to compromise patient care standards and escalate the concern through appropriate channels
Pharmacists' professional and legal obligations to patient safety supersede employer productivity directives; concerns should be escalated internally and, if unresolved, to the state board.
Under the concept of 'informed consent' as applied in pharmacy practice, a patient must be provided with:
Answer: Sufficient information to make a voluntary and knowledgeable decision about their treatment
Informed consent requires that patients receive all materially relevant information—including risks, benefits, and alternatives—needed to make a voluntary, competent decision.
Social media use by pharmacists raises ethical concerns primarily because:
Answer: Posts could inadvertently breach patient confidentiality or undermine professional image
Pharmacists must exercise caution on social media to avoid inadvertent HIPAA violations, maintain professional boundaries, and preserve public trust in the profession.
A pharmacist who self-discloses a substance use disorder to the state board is MOST likely to:
Answer: Be referred to a pharmacist health program and monitored recovery program
Most state boards offer peer assistance or monitoring programs that support pharmacists with substance use disorders through supervised recovery rather than outright revocation.
Which of the following best exemplifies the ethical obligation of 'professional competence' for a licensed pharmacist?
Answer: Engaging in ongoing continuing education and staying current with evidence-based practice
Professional competence is an ongoing obligation requiring continuous learning and practice improvement, not merely meeting minimum regulatory thresholds.
A pharmacist identifies a dispensing error that reached a patient but caused no apparent harm. The ethical standard requires the pharmacist to:
Answer: Disclose the error to the patient and prescriber and document it in the incident report system
Ethical practice and most state laws require transparent disclosure of errors to patients regardless of whether harm occurred, along with proper documentation and reporting.
The ethical principle of 'fidelity' in pharmacy practice refers to the pharmacist's obligation to:
Answer: Honor commitments and keep promises made to patients and colleagues
Fidelity is the duty to be faithful to one's commitments and promises, forming the basis of trust in the pharmacist-patient relationship.