Int J Pharm Pract 1997:5:122-7

Pharmacy Department, Cochin Hospital, Paris, and Laboratory of Medical Ethics and Public Health, Necker Faculty of Medicine, Paris, France
V. Auguste, pharmacy resident
C. Guerin, joint head of pharmacy

Pharmacy Department, Cochin Hospital, Paris
G. Hazebroucq, head of pharmacy

Correspondence: Melle Auguste, 38 Avenue Louis Aragon, 94800 Villejuif, France

Original Papers

Opinions and practices with regard to confidentiality in French hospital pharmacies

V. AUGUSTE, C. GUERIN and G. HAZEBROUCQ

During the past 10 years, the profession of hospital pharmacy has undergone radical changes in France. These include changes in laws and regulations, the development of activities related to clinical pharmacy and direct contact with patients. Situations now arise where the pharmaceutical team has access to personal data and is confronted with problems concerning confidentiality.
An inquiry designed to highlight the problems and study pharmaceutical practice was conducted by interviewing 15 hospital pharmacists. The interviewees represented a variety of grades and came from hospitals of different sizes, with different specialisations. Although the small number of interviewees did not allow us to draw quantitative conclusions, their replies were of great interest. The work shows the need to revise present practice in order to preserve confidentiality. Such revision calls for collective discussion and decisions, based on the pre-eminence of ethics respecting the individual. This investigation forms a preliminary phase for a more ambitious larger scale investigation.