title: Ethics in Pharmacy Curriculum for Undergraduate Pharmacy Students: A Needs Assessment Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recent advances in pharmacy practice have created serious ethical challenges for the pharmacists. Pursuing a new philosophy of practice is required to overcome these challenges and optimize the standard of care. In this regard, the current ethics guideline in the Pharmacy curriculum used in Tehran University of Medical Sciences, does not provide a fully comprehensive understanding of the issue. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to revise the current curriculum based on a needs assessment study.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, a two-part questionnaire was presented to pharmacists to obtain their views on the importance of topics in their daily routine practice. Part one of the questionnaire consisted of demographic data and part two of 23 topics in pharmacy ethics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of a total of 200 questionnaires, 158 questionnaires were returned. We reached consensus on 24 topics, of which 8 topics gained a score of higher than 4 (the highest score was considered to be 5) and the rest obtained a score of 3 and higher. The highest score pertained to the pharmacists' relationship with patients, awareness of the rules and regulations, and medication error.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Based on the results, a revised curriculum was designed for ethics in pharmacy. It seems that the designed curriculum is context-based and will develop appropriate educational material regarding pharmacists' requirements in daily practice. Consideration of interactive methods for teaching the curriculum is highly recommended.
authors.affiliation: Medical Ethics and History of Medicine Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Pooneh
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Salari
authors.affiliation: Department of Toxicology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, Toxicology and Diseases Group, Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abdollahi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003479:Curriculum / Q000639:trends*; D004512:Education, Pharmacy / Q000592:standards*; D004994:Ethics, Pharmacy / Q000193:education*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020380:Needs Assessment; D010595:Pharmacists / Q000941:ethics*; D013339:Students, Pharmacy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires