Evaluating the professional ethical knowledge, attitudes, and practices of pharmacists
- VernacularTitle:Жор баригчийн мэргэжлийн ёс зүйн мэдлэг, хандлага, дадлыг үнэлэх нь
- Author:
Udval B
1
;
Myagmarsuren B
1
;
Munkhbat S
1
Author Information
1. Department of Clinical pharmacy and pharmaceutical management, School of Pharmacy, MNUMS
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Ethics of pharmaceutical professional;
Community pharmacy;
Pharmacist;
Health professional
- From:
Mongolian Journal of Health Sciences
2025;85(1):46-50
- CountryMongolia
- Language:Mongolian
-
Abstract:
Background:Medical experts in pharmacies are the most accessible health professionals and play a key role in primary
health care. They must strike a balance between their autonomy, the objectives of the company, and professional standards, while facing a lot of ethical dilemmas. This phenomenon can impact the quality of pharmaceutical care, as highlighted in several studies. Numerous studies have been carried out internationally to explore the medical ethics knowledge
of pharmacists working in community pharmacies, their attitudes towards emerging ethical issues, and identification of
their common problems. However, research in this area is scarce in Mongolia, which serves as the basis for conducting
this study.
Aim:Assessing the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of pharmacists regarding professional ethics in community pharmacies in Ulaanbaatar city.
Materials and Methods:This study was conducted using an analytical cross-sectional study design and included 374
pharmacists who had been working in community pharmacies in Ulaanbaatar for more than three months, had a valid professional license, and consented to participate in the study between March and September 2024 (ethical approval number
2024/3-01). To determine the degree of knowledge, attitude, and practice, a questionnaire including 39 closed questions
and 4 groups was used to gather survey data. For statistical analysis, SPSS-25 software was utilized.
Results:Of those who took part, 301 (80.48%) were pharmacists, 73 (19.52%) were pharmacy technicians, and 339
(90.4%) were women. Additionally, 259 (69.3%) work in secondary pharmacies, and 305 (81.6%) have received ethics
training. The study shows that 56.1% of pharmacists had insufficient knowledge of professional ethics, 54.5% had poor
attitudes towards ethical issues, and 48.9% had inappropriate practices. When analyzed in relation to their profession, the
ethical knowledge of pharmacists did not differ by profession, age, years of experience in community pharmacies, professional degree, and university graduated, but it was statistically significantly correlated with the participants’ self-assessed
ethical knowledge (CL 95%, p=0.0001).
Conclusions:1. The knowledge of professional ethical principles and standards is insufficient among pharmacists.
2. While handling emerging ethical issues, they have a negative attitudes and inappropriate practices. Consequently,
it is compulsory to intensify training on the ethical code of conduct for medical experts s based on the needs of
pharmaceutical professionals.
- Full text:202505271341483355946-50.pdf
