{"id":25261,"date":"2022-05-04T11:49:44","date_gmt":"2022-05-04T15:49:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thinkresearch.com\/ca\/?p=25261"},"modified":"2022-05-04T12:09:32","modified_gmt":"2022-05-04T16:09:32","slug":"burnout-and-work-related-stress-in-pharmacies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thinkresearch.com\/ca\/2022\/05\/04\/burnout-and-work-related-stress-in-pharmacies\/","title":{"rendered":"Burnout and Work-Related Stress in Pharmacies: How to Mitigate Risk"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Work-related stress (where a person responds too much) and burnout (where a person responds too little) in pharmacies is off the charts after two plus years of coping with the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A quarter of pharmacists<\/a> (25 percent) report being \u201cvery stressed at work\u201d, an approximate doubling in 2021 from previous years. Community pharmacists appear to be the most affected. This data from The Pharmaceutical Journal annual salary and job satisfaction survey \u201cpaint a disturbing picture of a profession drowning in rising demand, staff shortages and shifting expectations.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the World Health Organization, burnout is \u201ca syndrome conceptualized from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Based on a survey of American pharmacists<\/a> in 2021, in self-ratings, 47 percent of respondents had current burnout and 81 percent self-rated as having a history of burnout. Based on Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL) scoring, 65 percent of respondents were identified as having moderate or high likelihood of burnout, a prevalence higher than that indicated by respondents\u2019 self-ratings. Additionally, 51 percent of respondents were identified as having a moderate or high probability of secondary traumatic stress (STS).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These results are not limited to North America. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An original research article published in 2022<\/a> explored professional burnout among pharmacists in Portugal. The authors found almost half of the respondents were concerned about mental health (41.5 percent), well-being of their colleagues (41.3 percent), and professional burnout (41.1 percent).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A cross-sectional study<\/a> to evaluate burnout among pharmacy staff in Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic found 59 percent of pharmacists had clinically relevant burnout levels. Burnout levels were significantly higher among pharmacists who were younger, female, less experienced or worked in a community pharmacy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overworked and under pressure<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A C+D survey<\/a> revealed that increased workloads and reduced funding are a toxic mix for pharmacists. Practitioners reported stress-related problems including insomnia (43 percent), depression (27 percent), excessive drinking (11 percent) and suicidal thoughts (6 percent).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Comments from pharmacists included: \u201cI have to multitask to the point of it being unsafe\u201d and \u201cShifts in poorly-managed branches are hell to deal with. Redundant pharmacy software, misfiled scripts, poor communication, overworked and stressed staff\u2026 and over-exploited, yet underutilised pharmacists.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pharmacists said they had experienced serious stress-related medical conditions such as heart problems, worsening diabetes and depression as a result of the stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressed pharmacists risk patient safety<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It should come as no surprise that if pharmacists are feeling the strain at work, they will be more prone to making pharmaceutical errors. While occasional bouts of stress can help us rise to meet challenges, long-term chronic stress has the opposite effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the Stress Management Society, prolonged stress can cause loss of concentration, demotivation, difficulty in making decisions, irritability and feelings of being overwhelmed — hardly desirable characteristics for a pharmacist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Manage stress and reduce the effects of burnout<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The conditions facing pharmacists and the people who work in pharmacy, now and post-pandemic, are likely to continue. Fortunately, there are proactive steps to take to manage stress and mitigate burnout. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As with many things, early recognition of the signs of burnout is the first step. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The World Health Organization characterized burnout by three symptoms:<\/p>\n\n\n\n