The “Hijacking” of Moral Conscience from Pharmacy Practice: A Canadian Perspective

Abstract

The new vision for Canadian pharmacy practice, as outlined in the Blueprint for Pharmacy, drives for a more patient-centered and outcomes-focused approach to patient care than ever before. As of 2007 and 2009, pharmacists in Alberta and British Columbia, respectively, have the ability to adapt and renew existing prescriptions without prior approval from the physician. This necessarily puts a greater emphasis on the practice of pharmaceutical care, entailing the formation of a closer professional, more personalized bonding between pharmacist and patient. No one, however, seems to be paying much attention to the greater moral and ethical responsibility of pharmacists as they take on expanded roles. Not only are the greater expectations not coupled with greater respect for the pharmacist's freedom of conscience, but provincial jurisdictions across the country vary in degrees of tolerance toward pharmacists whose views differ from those held by the licensing authorities.