Examination of critical care pharmacist work activities and burnout

Abstract

PurposeCritical care pharmacy services have progressed since their origination in the 1970s and have been supported by a position paper that categorized these services as fundamental (eg, provides drug information to the critical care team), desirable (eg, responds to resuscitation events in the hospital), and optimal (eg, publishes clinical research in peer‐reviewed journals). Burnout syndrome is a serious problem with far‐reaching consequences and may be heightened by the demanding nature of critical care. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between pharmacy services provided (fundamental, desirable, optimal) and the incidence of burnout syndrome among critical care pharmacists.MethodsA cross‐sectional survey was distributed via email to critical care pharmacists through a professional association listserv and included three areas of assessment: position and institution‐based characteristics, activities performed, and burnout. The primary outcome was the number of activities performed in each category and was compared between respondents who did and did not experience burnout using the Mann‐Whitney U test. Logistic regression was performed to characterize the relationship between activities performed and burnout.ResultsIn total, 211 pharmacists (14.5%) completed the survey. Sixty percent (n = 128) experienced burnout and performed a median of 13 (interquartile range [IQR] 7‐15) fundamental (of 18 assessed), 11 (IQR 4‐13) desirable (of 16 assessed), and 6 (IQR 5‐8) optimal (of 12 assessed) activities. In logistic regression, performing desirable activities was associated with higher risk of burnout while performing optimal activities was associated with lower risk of burnout.ConclusionsOver half of critical care pharmacists experienced burnout. The performance of optimal activities was associated with reduced burnout. It is possible that higher level, higher yield activities increase personal engagement and decrease burnout.

Burnout among pharmacy professionals in Qatar: A cross-sectional study

“…Our data show that the total number of overtime hours is positively correlated with an increased risk of burnout syndrome, particularly when overtime hours exceeds 30 hours per month. This is consistent with other studies among pharmacists and other healthcare professionals where 50 working hours or more was most associated with a higher risk of burnout syndrome [ 26 ].…”

“…Pharmacists practicing in critical care or emergency departments demonstrated resilience where none of them reported burnout syndrome, despite working in a highly dynamic and demanding environment. This contrasts with published research which shows at least 50% burnout among critical care pharmacists, especially those working in highly specialized centers [ 26 ]. Our finding could be explained by having reasonable pharmacist-patient ratio, and working less overtime hours per month due to the absence of on-call system in these services.…”

“…Our study showed that acquiring an additional degree was not associated with a higher risk of burnout. In other studies, pharmacists who hold postgraduate degrees with scholarly and teaching responsibilities are more inclined to develop burnout, especially if they have an official academic posting [ 24 , 26 ]. Being a pharmacy resident, especially PGY2 specialty residency, is associated with high risk of burnout [ 26 ].…”

“…In other studies, pharmacists who hold postgraduate degrees with scholarly and teaching responsibilities are more inclined to develop burnout, especially if they have an official academic posting [ 24 , 26 ]. Being a pharmacy resident, especially PGY2 specialty residency, is associated with high risk of burnout [ 26 ]. In contrast, Durham et al showed no difference in the incidence of burnout among pharmacists who completed residency or fellowship programs [ 27 ].…”

“…This could be due to a higher patient-to-pharmacist ratio in General Medicine. A study by Smith et al shows that a patient-to-pharmacist ratio greater than 25:1 was significantly correlated with a higher risk of burnout [ 26 ]. Pharmacists practicing in critical care or emergency departments demonstrated resilience where none of them reported burnout syndrome, despite working in a highly dynamic and demanding environment.…”