PROFESSIONALISM is an important topic for research, not least because by exploring professional values and behaviours it is possible to understand how professionalism relates to accountability and public/patient trust in healthcare professionals. Research seeking to define, describe, measure and assess professionalism in healthcare is thus often driven by the need to understand the processes underlying accountability and its relationship to trust in healthcare professionals. Yet to date, such research has been more commonplace in medicine than in pharmacy, and numerous definitions exist. Following wide consultation, the Royal College of Physicians defined medical professionalism as being realised through a partnership between patient and doctor that is based on respect, responsibility and accountability. Although definitions of pharmacy professionalism have been offered, further research and debate is required to come to a consensus.
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