Burnout, associated comorbidities and coping strategies in French community pharmacies—BOP study: A nationwide cross-sectional study

Abstract

BackgroundWork-related stress and burnout syndromes are unfortunately common comorbidities found in health professionals. However, burnout syndrome has only been partly and episodically assessed for community pharmacists whereas these professionals are exposed to patients’ demands and difficulties every day. Prevalence of burnout, associated comorbidities and coping strategies were assessed in pharmacy teams (pharmacists and pharmacy technicians) in French community pharmacies.MethodsThis online survey was performed by emails sent to all French community pharmacies over 3 months. The survey assessed the prevalence of burnout (Maslach Burnout Inventory—MBI—questionnaire), anxiety, depression and strategies for coping with work-related stress.ResultsOf the 1,339 questionnaires received, 1,322 were completed and useable for the analysis. Burnout syndrome was detected in 56.2% of respondents and 10.5% of them presented severe burnout syndrome. Severe burnout syndrome was significantly associated with men, large urban areas and the number of hours worked. Depression and anxiety were found in 15.7% and 42.4% of respondents, respectively. These co-morbidities were significantly associated with severe burnout syndrome. Higher MBI scores were significantly associated with medical consultations and medicinal drug use. Conversely, respondents suffering from burnout syndrome declared they resorted less to non-medical strategies to manage their work-related stress (leisure, psychotherapy, holidays and time off).ConclusionThis study demonstrated that community pharmacists and pharmacy technicians presented high prevalence of burnout syndrome, such as many healthcare professionals. Unfortunately, burnout syndrome was associated with several comorbidities (anxiety, depression and alcohol abuse) and the consumption of health resources. The psychological suffering of these healthcare professionals underlines the necessity to deploy a strategy to detect and manage burnout in community pharmacy.

A Cross-Sectional Study on Prevalence and Predictors of Burnout among a Sample of Pharmacists Employed in Pharmacies in Central Italy

“…Our analysis demonstrated no significant differences in burnout levels (both for the three specific dimensions and the overall index) of the investigated men and women, according to previous research performed among a sample of community pharmacists in Ankara [26]. In contrast, other studies demonstrated that men suffer significantly more of burnout syndrome than women and that women are at higher risk of mental disorders, depression, anxiety, and psychosomatic illnesses and men seem to suffer more from higher levels of stress [27,28]. In addition, previous researches evidenced that female physicians present a lower risk of depersonalization and a higher risk of emotional exhaustion with respect to males [29,30].…”

Pharmacist and student pharmacist views of professional and personal well-being and resilience

“…Regarding professional stressors, respondents' comments ( Table 3) included both external and individual factors, which is consistent with previously published literature. 1,[19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35] Regarding the question about what interferes with respondents' ability to meet expectations in their professional lives, 2 other themes emerged, namely (1) health and (2) striving for perfection. Comments related to health, often times related to not having time to maintain a healthy lifestyle, being lonely, suffering anxiety and depression, and mental fatigue.…”

“…There is an abundance of reported research that describes pharmacists' job stress, job satisfaction, professional commitment, work motivation, work overload, burnout, and job turnover. [19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37] There is evidence that stress levels are rising for student pharmacists 38,39 and pharmacy residents as well. [40][41][42][43][44] Recent literature showed that 61% of clinical pharmacists practicing in hospital settings reported signs of burnout in 2016, 33 and 53% of health-system pharmacists exhibited high burnout on at least 1 subscale of the Maslach Burnout Inventory Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS).…”

“…34 A study of community pharmacy teams (pharmacists and pharmacy technicians) conducted during 2015 in France showed that 56% of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians exhibited burnout syndrome. 35 Furthermore, burnout syndrome was associated with anxiety, depression, alcohol abuse, and higher rates of consumption of health resources. 35 In light of these signals, the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) has committed itself to the well-being and resilience of pharmacy personnel and signed on as a network organization within the National Academy of Medicine Action Collaborative on Clinician Wellbeing and Resilience.…”

“…35 Furthermore, burnout syndrome was associated with anxiety, depression, alcohol abuse, and higher rates of consumption of health resources. 35 In light of these signals, the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) has committed itself to the well-being and resilience of pharmacy personnel and signed on as a network organization within the National Academy of Medicine Action Collaborative on Clinician Wellbeing and Resilience. The overall goal is to support an engaged and effective health care workforce that is a highfunctioning care team that enriches patient-clinician relationships.…”