BURNOUT AND WORKPLACE SATISFACTION AMONG COMMUNITY PHARMACISTS DURING THE FIRST WAVE OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN HUNGARY: SCALE DEVELOPMENT AND A NATIONAL CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY
Author(s)
Georgina Balogh, MSc1, Sára Kárász, PharmD2, Erzsébet Háznagy-Radnai, PharmD PhD2, Irena Ilic, MD PhD3, Shazia Jamshed, PhD4, Regina Molnár, MSc PhD5, Andrea Szabó, PharmD PhD5, Edit Paulik, MD PhD2, Márió Gajdács, MPH, MSc, PharmD, PhD5.
1Doctoral School of Experimental and Preventive Medicine, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary, 2University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary, 3University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia, 4International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuantan, Malaysia, 5Department of Public Health, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary.
1Doctoral School of Experimental and Preventive Medicine, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary, 2University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary, 3University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia, 4International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuantan, Malaysia, 5Department of Public Health, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary.
OBJECTIVES: Community pharmacists (CPs) serve as vital ,,first and last-line” members in healthcare delivery. The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic imposed a severe operational and psychological workload on pharmacy personnel. The aim of this study was to develop a workplace satisfaction scale for pharmacy staff (WSS-Ph), and to evaluate burnout and workplace satisfaction (WS) levels among CPs in Hungary during the initial phase of the pandemic.
METHODS: A quantitative, cross-sectional study was conducted among CPs using non-probability sampling apporaches. Data were collected via a 100-item, web-based, self-administered questionnaire comprising: a) socio-demographic characteristics, b) Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS), c) Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (R-SES), d) Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), e) WSS-Ph (27-items; Cronbach’s α: 0.891; McDonald’s ω: 0.722). Statistical analyses (descriptive statistics, Welch’s t-test, and Pearson-correlation) were performed using IBM SPSS 22.0.
RESULTS: Based on exploratory factor analysis, three main domains of WS were identified in the WSS-Ph. Out of N=300 CPs, (median age: 32 years, range: 22-72; 79.0% female), 78.3% worked as staff pharmacists, 41.3% were employed by pharmacy chains, and 30.3% held postgraduate qualifications. Based on the MBI-HSS, 78.0%, 34.3% and 13.7% exhibited high levels of personal accomplishment loss, high emotional exhaustion, and depersonalization, respectively; 46.3% showed low resilience levels. WS profiles were classified as low, moderate or high in 6.6%, 48.7% and 44.7%, respectively. A higher volume of daily patient encounters was associated with higher burnout across all subdomains and lower WS (p<0.001). Negative correlation was shown between WS and overall burnout scores (r=-0.462, p<0.001).
CONCLUSIONS: The WSS-Ph instrument was shown as a reliable and valid tool for measuring WS in pharmacy environments during public health crises. Our findings indicate the critical vulnerability of CPs to systemic burnout, particularly regarding a loss of personal accomplishment, driven directly by inappropriate workplace ergonomics and elevated patient volumes.
METHODS: A quantitative, cross-sectional study was conducted among CPs using non-probability sampling apporaches. Data were collected via a 100-item, web-based, self-administered questionnaire comprising: a) socio-demographic characteristics, b) Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS), c) Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (R-SES), d) Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), e) WSS-Ph (27-items; Cronbach’s α: 0.891; McDonald’s ω: 0.722). Statistical analyses (descriptive statistics, Welch’s t-test, and Pearson-correlation) were performed using IBM SPSS 22.0.
RESULTS: Based on exploratory factor analysis, three main domains of WS were identified in the WSS-Ph. Out of N=300 CPs, (median age: 32 years, range: 22-72; 79.0% female), 78.3% worked as staff pharmacists, 41.3% were employed by pharmacy chains, and 30.3% held postgraduate qualifications. Based on the MBI-HSS, 78.0%, 34.3% and 13.7% exhibited high levels of personal accomplishment loss, high emotional exhaustion, and depersonalization, respectively; 46.3% showed low resilience levels. WS profiles were classified as low, moderate or high in 6.6%, 48.7% and 44.7%, respectively. A higher volume of daily patient encounters was associated with higher burnout across all subdomains and lower WS (p<0.001). Negative correlation was shown between WS and overall burnout scores (r=-0.462, p<0.001).
CONCLUSIONS: The WSS-Ph instrument was shown as a reliable and valid tool for measuring WS in pharmacy environments during public health crises. Our findings indicate the critical vulnerability of CPs to systemic burnout, particularly regarding a loss of personal accomplishment, driven directly by inappropriate workplace ergonomics and elevated patient volumes.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2026-11, ISPOR Europe 2026, Vienna, Austria
Value in Health, Volume 29, Issue 12S
Code
EPH108
Topic
Epidemiology & Public Health, Health Policy & Regulatory, Organizational Practices
Topic Subcategory
Public Health
Disease
No Additional Disease & Conditions/Specialized Treatment Areas