The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 270 No 7234 p169
1 February 2003

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Reinforces importance of law and ethics

'Practical exercises in pharmacy law and ethics', 2nd edition, by Gordon E. Appelbe, Joy Wingfield and Lindsay M. Taylor. Pp xiv+236. Price £19.95. London: Pharmaceutical Press; 2002. ISBN 0 85369 522 9

Pharmacy is practised through the roles and responsibilities of pharmacists. As the roles and responsibilities of pharmacists are necessarily shaped by both law and ethics, the practice of pharmacy has a distinct legal and ethical reality. The greatest strength of this book is its ability to re-emphasise the importance of law and ethics in prevailing models of pharmacy practice, which underline professional duties, responsibilities and relationships.

The structure of the book is to provide a series of problem-solving exercises at three levels — for undergraduate pharmacy students, preregistration trainees and practising pharmacists. Each exercise prompts a consideration of specific issues, gives a reference to the appropriate section of the companion text 'Pharmacy law and ethics', provides the relevant answer and explanation, and gives sources of additional relevant materials. The content of the exercises is well thought-out, relevant and sufficiently real to be of value, at each level. The content has been expanded to include aspects of pharmacy law and practice beyond the traditional analysis of a series of rules and regulations. A minor criticism of the structure is that the answers and explanations could have been divorced from the exercises themselves. For this reader, there was too great a temptation to glance at the response, which was often on the same page.

The final section on professional decision-making follows the accepted structure of ethical decision-making but expands that system into the resolution of problems with a distinct legal element. There is sometimes, but not always, a parallel between ethical and legal decision-making, but this remains, again, a minor criticism of what is a necessary part of this important book.

Kenneth Mullan