Introduction:

Pharmacists face ethical conflicts related to the dispensing of medications. Their resolution ensures an effective, safe, dignified, and quality service.

Objective:

To characterize the dispensing of medications from an ethical-deontological perspective in pharmacies of Cuenca-Ecuador in 2018.

Material and methods:

A non-experimental, descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted. The non-probability sample consisted of 65 pharmacists. A survey was applied to identify the resolution of ethical conflicts and the level of knowledge of Pharmaceutical Ethics and Deontology. Data were coded and analyzed with SPSS 23.0.

Results:

The most frequent conflicts included informed consent (83 %), medical prescription (95 %) and conflict of interests (84 %). The resolution of ethical conflicts was higher in pharmacists with training in Ethics and Deontology, with a correlation of 0.34 (p =0.009) with the level of knowledge of Pharmaceutical Deontology. The level of knowledge of Pharmaceutical Ethics and Deontology was low in 60% of the sample, with an inverse association with the self-perception of knowledge (ρ= -0.259; p≤ 0.001).

Conclusions:

Empirical resolution of ethical conflicts while exercising the profession is carried out without ethical-deontological foundation. The level of knowledge of Ethics and Deontology requires intervention from institutional and professional training so that it is reverted to make the right decisions to guarantee the safety of the patient as a person.

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