Approcci contemporanei all’etica dei farmacisti e la loro valutazione alla luce dei princìpi della bioetica personalista
Contemporary approaches to ethics of pharmacists and their evaluation in the light of the principles of personalistic bioethics

Summary/Abstract: The aim of the article is to show the current state of research on the ethics of pharmacists and its contemporary approaches in the light of various bioethical systems. The great development of technical, biological, chemical, and biomedical sciences is the source of many ethical questions related to the transformation of human and world life. Particularly challenging are the changes that concern human life from conception to natural death and are associated with all medical professions, including the pharmaceutical profession. The pharmacist’s tasks go beyond ordinary commercial activities. The text of the article shows the status quaestionis regarding the ethics of pharmacists. Then, various ethical approaches are discussed and analysed: historical perspective, pharmaceutical deontology, and virtue ethics. In the light of the inadequacy of such models, a personalistic view of the pharmacist’s profession is shown, referring to personalistic bioethics. It provides an adequate and comprehensive opportunity to answer moral dilemmas related to the exercise of this profession. Among the various issues, attention is drawn to showing the pharmacist as a defender of human life, humanization of the profession, the issue of responsibility, and opposition to conscience. The analysis is carried out in the light of the principles of personalistic bioethics, concerning the most important documents of the Catholic Church. The personalistic approach seems to most fully address the complexity of the pharmacist’s work, with particular emphasis on the issue of his personal development in close connection with care for the patient’s health.

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