A philosophical framework for pharmacy in the 21st century guided by ethical principles

Abstract

Pharmacy has a long history of providing products and services for healthcare. In the last century, these roles have taken a strong focus on clinical care with the provision of medicines review, medicines optimisation, and prescribing services being at the forefront. The profession, however, is diverse. Pharmacists operate across a wide range of healthcare practices that often embrace both historic and contemporary roles simultaneously. The purpose of this article is to provide an overarching philosophical framework for pharmacy that encompasses roles that the modern pharmacist may assume. In doing this, we explore how pharmacy services align with healthcare and how different services require different approaches to clinical decision making.