Cross-sectional study to evaluate burnout among pharmacy staff in Saudi Arabia during COVID-19 pandemic

Prevalence and Factors Associated with Burnout among Community Pharmacists in Saudi Arabia: Findings and Implications

Burnout has negative consequences for the well-being of healthcare professionals and for the safety of patients. The prevalence of burnout varies among health professions and practice settings and across studies. Consequently, this cross-sectional study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with burnout among community pharmacists in the Qassim region, Saudi Arabia. The study used the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) to assess the burnout. The CBI consists of three scales, including personal burnout, work-related burnout, and client-related burnout. A total of 226 community pharmacists participated in the study. Of these, 63.72% were male, and 44.25% had experience of 1-5 years as community pharmacists. The prevalence of personal burnout was 83.63%, while the prevalence of work-related burnout was 83.19%, and the prevalence of client-related burnout was 76.11%. The prevalence of burnout was higher among younger age, early-career pharmacists; staff pharmacists; pharmacists working ≥6 days per week; and those working in pharmacies with fewer pharmacy teams. Multivariable logistic regression showed that compared to five workdays, working six and seven days per week was an independent risk factor for developing personal burnout [(adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 3.60: CI = (1.29-10.05), p = 0.014) and (aOR = 4.72: CI = (1.17-19.08), p = 0.030), respectively]. Similarly, pharmacists working in pharmacies with one or two pharmacists were at higher odds of developing personal burnout compared to others working in a larger team (aOR = 3.41: CI = (1.09-10.66), p = 0.035). For work-related burnout, working six and seven days per week was also an independent risk factor [(aOR = 5.78: CI = (1.96-17.06), p = 0.001), and (aOR = 8.38: CI = (1.99-35.27), p = 0.004, respectively)]. For client-related burnout, staff pharmacists were at higher odds of developing client-related burnout compared to pharmacy managers [(aOR = 2.28: CI = (1.01-5.14), p = 0.046)]. Overall, the prevalence of burnout is alarmingly high among community pharmacists in Saudi Arabia. Consequently, it is crucial to urgently address it through robust initiatives, strategies, and interventions that support the well-being, quality of life, and resilience of community pharmacists.

Burnout among public sector pharmacy staff two years into the COVID-19 pandemic

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors contributing to burnout among public sector pharmacy staff in Sarawak, Malaysia, two years into the COVID-19 pandemic. Impact of burnout on their lives and their coping strategies were also examined.

METHODS

A cross-sectional online survey was carried out among all pharmacy staff in public healthcare facilities throughout Sarawak. Burnout was measured using the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory. Multiple logistic regression analysed demographic and work characteristics associated with burnout. Open-ended replies on burnout causes, impact, coping strategies and employer's role were coded and thematically analysed.

KEY FINDINGS

A total of 329 responses were received. The prevalence of personal, work and patient-related burnout was 54.7, 47.1 and 35.3%, respectively. Respondents facing problems with child support were 8.26 and 3.62 times more likely to suffer from personal and work-related burnout. Working in areas with potential exposure to COVID-19 patients increased the odds of patient and work-related burnout by 2.80 and 1.86 times, respectively. Burnout symptoms affected their quality of life; nevertheless, self-reported coping strategies were mostly positive. Respondents emphasised the need for organisational interventions, including increased resource allocation, better workload distribution and promotion of work-life balance, to mitigate burnout.

CONCLUSIONS

A significant percentage of public sector pharmacy staff continue to experience burnout two years into the pandemic. Regular well-being assessments and supportive policies are recommended to help them cope with increased stress. Additional training for supervisors may be necessary to effectively manage staff and workload during a pandemic.

Pharmacists' Mental Health during the First Two Years of the Pandemic: A Socio-Ecological Scoping Review

Healthcare workers have been under a great deal of stress and have been experiencing burnout throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Among these, healthcare workers are pharmacists who have been instrumental in the fight against the pandemic. This scoping review examined the impact of the pandemic on pharmacists' mental health and their antecedents using three databases (CINAHL, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO). Eligible studies included primary research articles that examined the mental health antecedents and outcomes among pharmacists during the first two years of the pandemic. We used the Social Ecological Model to categorize antecedents per outcome. The initial search yielded 4165 articles, and 23 met the criteria. The scoping review identified pharmacists experiencing poor mental health during the pandemic, including anxiety, burnout, depression, and job stress. In addition, several individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, and policy-level antecedents were identified. As this review revealed a general decline in pharmacists' mental health during the pandemic, further research is required to understand the long-term impacts of the pandemic on pharmacists. Furthermore, we recommend practical mitigation strategies to improve pharmacists' mental health, such as implementing crisis/pandemic preparedness protocols and leadership training to foster a better workplace culture.

The "affected" pharmacist and the "business as usual" pharmacist: Exploring the experiences of pharmacists during COVID-19 through cluster analysis

BACKGROUND

The global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has necessitated considerable changes in the delivery of pharmacy services, with pharmacists experiencing increasing demands and a high rate of burnout. The ability to categorize pharmacists based on their burnout risk and associated factors could be used to tailor burnout interventions.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to identify subgroups (profiles) of pharmacists and use these profiles to describe interventions tailored to improve pharmacist's well-being.

METHODS

A survey was disseminated to pharmacists working in Australia during April and June 2020. The survey measured demographics, burnout, and psychosocial factors associated with working during COVID-19. A two-step cluster analysis was used to categorize pharmacists based on burnout and other variables.

RESULTS

A total of 647 survey responses contained data that were used for analysis. Participants were mostly female (75.7%) and working full time (65.2%). The final cluster analysis yielded an acceptable two-cluster model describing 2 very different pharmacist experiences, using 10 variables. Cluster 2 (representing 53.1% of participants) describes the "affected" pharmacist, who has a high degree of burnout, works in community pharmacy, experiences incivility, is less likely to report sufficient precautionary measures in their workplace, and has had an increase in workload and overtime. In contrast, cluster 1 (representing 46.9% of participants) describes the profile of a "business as usual" hospital pharmacist with the opposite experiences. Interventions focused on the "affected" pharmacist such as financial support to employ specialized staff and equitable access to personal protective equipment should be available to community pharmacists, to reduce the risk to these frontline workers.

CONCLUSION

The use of cluster analysis has identified 2 distinct profiles of pharmacists working during COVID-19. The "affected" pharmacist warrants targeted interventions to address the high burnout experienced in this group.

Community Pharmacists' Beliefs about Suboptimal Practice during the Times of COVID-19

Introduction: Community pharmacies are high-performance workplaces; if the environment is not conducive to safe practice, mistakes can occur. There has been increasing demand for pharmacists during the COVID-19 pandemic as they have become integral to the response. Suboptimal practices in the work environment and with pharmacists and their teams can impact the safe delivery of services. New Zealand pharmacists' perceptions of the current work environment and beliefs around whether suboptimal practice have increased within the last five years and the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on their practices are unknown. Aim/Objectives: To assess what New Zealand pharmacists associate with suboptimal practice in their workplace and investigate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on pharmacists and their workplaces. Methods: We employed an anonymous online questionnaire derived from a human factors framework utilised in the aviation industry to explore the potential environment, team and organisational factors as the determinants of suboptimal work practices. The software, hardware, environment and liveware (S.H.E.L.L) model was adapted to create questions classifying the risk factors to potentially identify aspects of work systems that are vulnerable and may provide risks to optimal practice. Additional perceptions around the effect of COVID-19 on their workplace and roles as pharmacists were explored. Participants were community pharmacists working in New Zealand contacted via a mailing list of the responsible authority for the profession. Findings: We received responses from 260 participants. Most participants indicated that suboptimal practice had increased in the last 5 years (79.8%). The majority of participants indicated that COVID-19 had impacted their workplaces (96%) and their roles as pharmacists (92.1%). Participants perceived that suboptimal practice was associated with a lack of leadership and appropriate management; poor access to resourcing, such as adequate staff and narrow time constraints for work tasks; a lack of procedures; competition; and stress. A lack of experience, professionalism and poor communication between staff, patients and external agencies were also issues. COVID-19 has affected pharmacists personally and their work environments. Further study in this area is required. Conclusions: We have identified that pharmacists across all sectors of New Zealand agreed that suboptimal practices had increased in the last 5 years. A human factors S.H.E.L.L framework can be used to classify themes to understand the increases in suboptimal practice and the role of COVID-19 on pharmacist practice. Many of these themes build on the growing body of the international literature around the effect of the pandemic on pharmacist practice. Areas for which there are less historical data to compare longitudinally include pharmacist wellbeing and the impact of COVID-19.

Comparison of Patient's Satisfaction with Pharmaceutical Care Services in Ownership-Based Pharmacies in Semarang, Indonesia

Implementation of pharmacists services provided in all pharmacies must meet the standard of pharmaceutical services guidelines, including the provision of drug information. The study aims to compare the patient's perception of drug counseling services by pharmacy staff based on the type of pharmacy ownership (franchise/non-franchise) in Semarang. This research is an observational study with a cross-sectional design. Samples were taken of 286 respondents with a quota sampling technique. Data were collected using an online google form questionnaire tested for validity and reliability. The statistical analysis results used the Mann-Whitney test with a p-value of <0.05. There is no significant difference between the patient's perception of the drug information counseling services by pharmacy staff at the franchise or non-franchise pharmacies in Semarang with a p-value of 0.264. This study also found that the standard information given by pharmacy staff is healthy eating and education about antibiotics used in the common cold. In addition, only 55% of respondents were sure that the pharmacy staff who gave them drug information in pharmacies was a pharmacist. Consequently, we humbly recommend that pharmacists consistently wear their pharmacist identification.