As the healthcare workforce struggles with burnout, pharmacy staffs aren't immune to the growing flame of chronic workplace stress.
There's a plethora of workplace issues pharmacy employees face, according to data collected by pharmacist associations, research from the University of Minnesota and the University of Arizona, and a March 30 report from The Washington Post.
Common complaints from pharmacy workers include working conditions, medication errors that were near misses or caused no patient harm, and staffing and scheduling issues, according to a recent workplace and well-being report of about 150 pharmacy employees.
A 2021 study revealed that 75 percent of pharmacists do not think enough "sufficient time is allocated for me to safely perform patient care [and] clinical duties." Of the survey that spanned 6,400 pharmacists working in retail stores and hospitals, 7 in 10 said there were not enough employees to "meet patient care [and] clinical duties."
These stressors have worsened, experts told the Post.
"Many [pharmacists] are struggling to get things done, and that has to have an effect on the quality of their work and their care," David Mott, PhD, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's pharmacy school who is working on a survey with about 5,000 responses, told the Post.
The survey, which will be released in May, found more pharmacists reporting burnout now than they did at the height of the pandemic.
Dr. Mott said the results show a "scary situation."