Читать книгу Fundamentals of Pharmacology - Группа авторов - Страница 96

This chapter has sought to outline the fundamental legal and ethical principles relating to pharmacology in healthcare. The three key components that underpin high‐quality decision‐making with and for patients in our care are related to the law, ethical principles and regulatory bodies. A variety of legislation has been discussed to offer an understanding and insight into how healthcare professionals manage and administer medicines within the confines of the law. The interplay of legislation, ethical principles and professional regulation is a fine balance that health professionals seek to strike in order to optimise the safety and efficacy of treatment.

Working in healthcare requires an acknowledgement of the areas of ambiguity and conflict that may be encountered; and while we seek to always ‘do good’, there are countless situations where this endeavour may be obstructed by other considerations such as patients' capacity or the wider public interest.

Acknowledgement of the issues that have been outlined within this chapter and a deeper understanding of how to apply the knowledge of ethical principles will ultimately improve practice and provide safer and higher quality patient care. It is incumbent upon all health professionals (and students) to act with integrity within these frameworks and to make individualised decisions which are in the patients' best interest and, wherever possible, fully informed.