Professional Transgressions by Australian Pharmacists.

Background: Investigating professional transgressions by pharmacists will aid to minimise their occurrence and ensure that the public's trust and well-being are not compromised Aim: To compare the definition of professional transgression in all Australian pharmacy acts; to identify the characteristics of pharmacists most likely to transgress; to identify the most prevalent transgressions; and to identify the justification provided by pharmacists for committing transgression. Method: Definitions of professional transgression, commonly referred to as 'professional misconduct', were identified from all Australian pharmacy acts and then compared. Disciplinary hearings brought before the pharmacy regulatory bodies were collected and the demographic data of the pharmacists involved, transgressions committed and the justifications provided for committing them were identified and analysed. Results: Professional transgression was defined differently in each state using a combination of terms, such as a lack of skill, experience, knowledge, care and judgement. Cases from 1990 to 2002 were analysed with 195 cases adjudged guilty. Of those cases that provided adequate detail, the majority of pharmacists found guilty were male (89%), worked in community pharmacy (97%) and were proprietors (64%). The most common misconduct was inappropriate supply of medications. Reasons cited for professional misconduct included human error, lack of knowledge, management skills, personal issues and intentional transgression. Conclusion: Australian pharmacy acts require a unified definition of professional transgression to ensure pharmacists are treated equally. Adopting a systems approach may prevent unintentional transgressions from occurring in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Pharmacy Practice & Research is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)