- Title
- Pharmacists’ perceptions of the effects of the Consumer Protection Act of 2008 on the pharmacy profession in South Africa: an exploratory study
- Creator
- Cumberlege, Karin
- Subject
- South Africa -- Consumer Protection Act, 2008
- Subject
- Consumer protection -- Law and legislation -- South Africa Pharmacists -- Legal status, laws, etc. -- South Africa Pharmacy -- Practice -- South Africa
- Date Issued
- 2019
- Date
- 2019
- Type
- Thesis
- Type
- Masters
- Type
- MPharm
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10948/38057
- Identifier
- vital:34312
- Description
- The pharmacy profession is highly regulated through a number of statutes and codes all of which are devised in the public interest. The Consumer Protection Act, No 68 of 2008 (CPA) is a relatively recent addition to these regulatory measures and purports to protect consumers in their relations with suppliers, which includes the pharmacist-patient relationship. Heightened consumer awareness is increasing litigious consumer behaviour, making it important for pharmacists to be aware of their legal duties as providers of pharmaceutical care to consumers and therefore, to appreciate the potential implications of the CPA. This study aimed to determine South African pharmacists’ perceptions of the potential effect of the CPA on the pharmacy profession. Specific objectives included establishing the extent to which pharmacy law and ethics are incorporated into pharmacy curricula at various tertiary pharmacy institutions. The literature review identified the pharmacy categories providing pharmaceutical care services, whilst investigating medico-legal aspects of such services. Selected consumer rights in the CPA were considered in the context of pharmacists’ ethical obligations to consumers, thereby identifying potential areas of liability for pharmacists. Content and curriculum development pertaining to pharmacy education and training, focusing on pharmacy law and ethics, were assessed. A mixed methods research design was used to achieve the aim of the study. This included focus groups, telephone interviews, and a questionnaire survey amongst registered pharmacists. The themes identified in the focus groups were included in the telephone interviews. Likewise, themes identified from both the focus groups and telephone interviews, were incorporated in the questionnaire survey. The results identified a disparity in pharmacists’ education and training received from the respective tertiary pharmacy institutions. The results showed that pharmacists do not necessarily appreciate the potential implications of the CPA for pharmacists, portending an increased likelihood of liability. This finding also has implications for the training of pharmacists.
- Format
- ix, 225 leaves
- Format
- Publisher
- Nelson Mandela University
- Publisher
- Faculty of Health Sciences
- Language
- English
- Rights
- Nelson Mandela University
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| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | SOURCE1 | K Cumberlege.pdf | 2 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |