Psychological Status, Influencing Factors and Intervention Countermeasures of Hospital Pharmacists in Extreme Working Environments in the Post-Pandemic Era--An Embedded Mixed Study

Abstract

Objective The study explores the psychological state and related influences of hospital pharmacists enclosed in extreme work environments in the post-epidemic era, and also explores potential measures to alleviate negative emotions. Methods An embedded mixed research methodology was used. In the qualitative research phase, semi-structured interviews were carried out with 30 pharmacists consistently confined to their work environments. The data were managed and analyzed using NVivo12 software. In the quantitative research phase, 146 pharmacists with experience in extreme work environments were selected, and the data were collected through questionnaires (GAD-7 and CD-RISC-25) and self-administered questions generated during the qualitative phase. The Shapiro–Wilk test was utilized to assess data normality. Spearman correlation was conducted to evaluate correlations among self-designed questions, resilience, and anxiety. Results The results from interviews with 30 pharmacists revealed four factors influencing the psychological state of pharmacists in the post-epidemic era: personal factors, interpersonal relationships, environmental factors, and policy and public opinion. Mitigation measures for negative emotions encompass material security, life adjustment, epidemic prevention policy, public opinion information, and organizational management. The results of a quantitative study of 146 pharmacists showed that only 1% had severe anxiety, but the psychological resilience scores were generally low, and 62% had poor psychological resilience, with scores below 73. Simultaneously, it was observed that, except religious beliefs, factors influencing psychological status in extreme work environments were significantly negatively correlated with personal anxiety levels and significantly positively correlated with psychological resilience. Conclusion Our study holds significance in unraveling the psychological aspects of pharmacists as healthcare workers. It also offers insights into how healthcare organizations respond to the negative emotions experienced by healthcare workers in emergencies or extreme environments.