Medical Ethics and Law Flashcards
7 cards from real PEBC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Medical Ethics and Law flashcards as text
A pharmacist receives a prescription for a medication that is contraindicated with the patient's documented allergy. The prescriber insists on dispensing. The pharmacist should:
Answer: Refuse to dispense and document the clinical rationale for refusal
Pharmacists have an independent professional duty to refuse dispensing when patient safety is at risk, regardless of prescriber insistence.
The doctrine of 'respondeat superior' in pharmacy law means:
Answer: An employer may be liable for the negligent acts of an employee pharmacist
Respondeat superior holds employers vicariously liable for negligent acts of employees performed within the scope of employment.
A pharmacist is asked to dispense a drug not yet approved by Health Canada but available through the Special Access Programme (SAP). This is permissible when:
Answer: The prescriber submits an SAP request and Health Canada grants authorization
The SAP allows access to unauthorized drugs only after Health Canada reviews and approves the prescriber's application on behalf of a specific patient.
A patient's substitute decision-maker (SDM) requests a medication change that the pharmacist believes is not in the patient's best interest. The pharmacist should:
Answer: Communicate concerns to the prescriber and healthcare team while respecting the SDM's role
The pharmacist should voice clinical concerns to the care team while recognizing the SDM's legal authority to make decisions for incapable patients.
Which of the following is the most accurate description of 'professional misconduct' in Canadian pharmacy regulation?
Answer: Conduct that falls below the standard expected of a competent pharmacist
Professional misconduct is broadly defined as conduct unbecoming a pharmacist or conduct that fails to meet the professional standard of practice.
A pharmacist is offered a gift by a pharmaceutical sales representative in exchange for promoting a specific drug. The pharmacist should:
Answer: Decline the gift as it creates a conflict of interest
Accepting gifts that could influence prescribing or dispensing decisions constitutes a conflict of interest and violates professional ethics codes.
A pharmacist working in a long-term care facility notices that a resident is receiving a medication dose far above the recommended range for their age. The pharmacist's responsibility is to:
Answer: Contact the prescriber to discuss the clinical appropriateness of the dose
Pharmacists have a professional duty to identify and communicate drug therapy problems, including inappropriate dosing, to the prescriber.