PHARMACIST'S ROLE ON ETHICS COMMITTEES

To advocate that pharmacists should be included as members of hospital and health-system ethics committees; further,

To encourage pharmacists to actively seek ethics consultations as appropriate; further,

To support continued inclusion of ethics in pharmacy education and encourage pharmacists serving on ethics committees to seek advanced training in healthcare ethics.

Rationale

Many hospitals have a committee or other process by which they consider ethical decisions related to patient care. Many issues that face these committees involve medications, yet often pharmacists do not serve on the committee or are not directly involved in the decision-making process related to ethical issues. The number of ethical issues involving medications is expected to increase, given many new and unique drug products coming into the market. These include patient access to high-cost medications, considerations during medication shortages, and other ethical considerations that surface as part of the formulary process. Pharmacist involvement would better inform these committees and consultations. To effectively contribute to decision-making on ethics, pharmacists will require advanced education on the subject.