History

• APhA established the present Pharmacist's Code of Ethics, the sixth version thus far, in 1994. The Idaho Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ISHP) reports the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy established the first such code in 1848.
  
  

Significance

• According to ISHP, the Pharmacist's Code of Ethics has evolved over time with the pharmaceutical profession. The current code is a formal statement of pharmacists' roles and responsibilities to patients, the public, medical professionals, other pharmacists and the pharmaceutical profession.
  
  

Size

• The Pharmacist's Code of Ethics consists of eight principles that pharmacists use as a guide for professional and ethical conduct.
  
  

Features

• According to ISHP, the eight principles concern autonomy and dignity, beneficence, competence, the covenantal relationship with patients, honesty and integrity, interaction with colleagues, justice and obligations.
  
  

Considerations

• ISHP states that the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, an international organization, and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists both endorse the current Pharmacist's Code of Ethics.