Psychological impact of the COVID-19 outbreak in community pharmacists: A longitudinal study

Lange, Marie; Licaj, Idlir; BOULOUARD, Michel; Garon, David; RICHARD, Estelle; Bas, Jeanne Le; SALMON, Rémi; STROIAZZO, Rhéda; Bas, François Le; Humbert, Xavier

doi:10.1016/j.japh.2021.12.004

Cited by 7 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…In particular, there was a significant decrease in anxiety levels at the end of the first wave, which is consistent with the results of some studies conducted worldwide (34)(35)(36). According to the literature (32,34), such a decrease may be attributed to greater control over the pandemic, more knowledge and resources for treating patients, greater familiarity with the new working routine, and decreased stigma associated with healthcare workers.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Mental health trajectories of Brazilian health workers during two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020–2021)

et al. 2023

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This study aimed to: (a) monitor the progression of symptoms of mental health burden among frontline workers caring for COVID-19 patients in Brazil during the two waves of the pandemic, considering the number of new cases and deaths, and; (b) to verify the different mental health outcomes and potential associations with current burnout symptoms. A non-probabilistic sample of health professionals was assessed as the pandemic progressed in Brazil (May/2020 August/2021). Standardized instruments focusing on anxiety, depression, insomnia, post-traumatic stress, and burnout symptoms were applied online. The results indicate a decrease in anxiety levels, what was related to when the number of new cases declined (end 1th-wave); symptoms returned to higher levels later. Emotional exhaustion increased when there was a higher incidence of cases, returning to the baseline levels at the end of the second wave. Depersonalization symptoms increased in this phase, characterized by a further decrease in new cases, while professional accomplishment decreased during the follow-up. The highest number of new cases was associated with a higher frequency of anxiety (OR = 1.467;95%CI = 1.109–1.941; p = 0.007) and professional accomplishment (OR = 1.490;95%CI = 1.098–2.023; p = 0.011). The subjects with trajectory of resilience against anxiety presented the lowest level of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization (p < 0.05). The conclusion is that the pressure experienced by healthcare professionals throughout the pandemic caused different impacts on their mental health, emphasizing the dynamic nature of this condition and the need for constant monitoring and care. This finding directly affects mental health prevention and intervention measures, which remain a priority and require continuous reinforcement, especially among the most vulnerable groups.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Mental health trajectories of Brazilian health workers during two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020–2021)

et al. 2023

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“…Nearly two thirds ( n = 164, 63.1%) of respondents reported that COVID-19 was having an impact on them personally. There was stronger agreement reported from female members of the workforce ( n = 119 66.9%), and this could be due to “traditional” caregiving roles for younger families, which creates dual role pressure; studies also noted this factor on the effect of the pandemic on female members of the workforce [ 14 , 15 , 16 ]. Areas where there were greater impacts focused around pharmacist wellbeing and the use or availability of Personal Protective Equipment.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The pharmacist workforce are predominantly women, who have also reported increased stress, particularly regarding childcare arrangements, which has often meant balancing family responsibilities in addition to greater work responsibilities [ 14 , 15 , 16 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Community Pharmacists’ Beliefs about Suboptimal Practice during the Times of COVID-19

2022

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Introduction: Community pharmacies are high-performance workplaces; if the environment is not conducive to safe practice, mistakes can occur. There has been increasing demand for pharmacists during the COVID-19 pandemic as they have become integral to the response. Suboptimal practices in the work environment and with pharmacists and their teams can impact the safe delivery of services. New Zealand pharmacists’ perceptions of the current work environment and beliefs around whether suboptimal practice have increased within the last five years and the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on their practices are unknown. Aim/Objectives: To assess what New Zealand pharmacists associate with suboptimal practice in their workplace and investigate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on pharmacists and their workplaces. Methods: We employed an anonymous online questionnaire derived from a human factors framework utilised in the aviation industry to explore the potential environment, team and organisational factors as the determinants of suboptimal work practices. The software, hardware, environment and liveware (S.H.E.L.L) model was adapted to create questions classifying the risk factors to potentially identify aspects of work systems that are vulnerable and may provide risks to optimal practice. Additional perceptions around the effect of COVID-19 on their workplace and roles as pharmacists were explored. Participants were community pharmacists working in New Zealand contacted via a mailing list of the responsible authority for the profession. Findings: We received responses from 260 participants. Most participants indicated that suboptimal practice had increased in the last 5 years (79.8%). The majority of participants indicated that COVID-19 had impacted their workplaces (96%) and their roles as pharmacists (92.1%). Participants perceived that suboptimal practice was associated with a lack of leadership and appropriate management; poor access to resourcing, such as adequate staff and narrow time constraints for work tasks; a lack of procedures; competition; and stress. A lack of experience, professionalism and poor communication between staff, patients and external agencies were also issues. COVID-19 has affected pharmacists personally and their work environments. Further study in this area is required. Conclusions: We have identified that pharmacists across all sectors of New Zealand agreed that suboptimal practices had increased in the last 5 years. A human factors S.H.E.L.L framework can be used to classify themes to understand the increases in suboptimal practice and the role of COVID-19 on pharmacist practice. Many of these themes build on the growing body of the international literature around the effect of the pandemic on pharmacist practice. Areas for which there are less historical data to compare longitudinally include pharmacist wellbeing and the impact of COVID-19.

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“…Among their medical staff, 36% had insomnia symptoms [40]. Lange's initial findings regarding the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on mental health also indicated significant psychological disorders among healthcare professionals [27], including post-traumatic stress disorder in 23.1% of them during lockdown, then 16.4% two years later [26]. In the French study by Ghesquiere, 17.9% (n = 37) of the population used anxiolytics.…”

Section: The Mental Health Of Pharmacists Needs Concernmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, several individual antecedents were identified. In France, there are only two publications by Lange on the mental health of dispensing pharmacists in 2020 and 2022 in the same cohort [26,27]. Both studies used the perceived stress scale (PSS), the impact of event scale-revised (IES-R), and the Maslach burnout inventory (MBI).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Survey on the Mental Health of Dispensing Pharmacists in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region (France)

Massoubre,

Gabriel-Segard,

Durupt

et al. 2023

IJERPH

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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic intensely involved pharmacists in France, with new responsibilities on a large scale, introducing to dispensary practice the performance of vaccination and nasopharyngeal swabs. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of burnout, anxiety, and depression in pharmacists after the COVID-19 health crisis and to identify factors associated with psychological distress. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study involved 1700 pharmacies in an entire French region. Sociodemographic, geographical, and medical information (burnout tested with the MBI and anxiety/depression measured on the HAD scale) were collected via an online anonymous self-administered questionnaire. The characteristics of the pharmacy and the practice of antigen testing and vaccination were requested. Quantitative and qualitative variables associated with psychological distress were investigated with a factor analysis. Results: In total, 360 responses were collected (20.5%). Of the responses, 41.9% showed definite anxiety symptoms and 18.3% showed proven depressive symptoms. Three clusters were described according to the intensity of burnout experience, depersonalization, and loss of personal accomplishment. The analysis identified that one cluster was at high risk of burnout (high burnout and depersonalization scores). Of these stressed, exhausted pharmacists, 69.3% showed definite anxiety, 37.9% showed proven depression, and in smaller pharmacies. The carrying out of antigenic testing and anti-COVID vaccination, as well as the geographical location of the pharmacy, were not discriminating factors in these three groups. Conclusion: Mental health care and suicide prevention should be provided to at-risk pharmacists. It seems essential to publicize the range of resources available to support pharmacists.

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Psychological impact of the COVID-19 outbreak in community pharmacists: A longitudinal study

Cited by 7 publications

References 17 publications

Mental health trajectories of Brazilian health workers during two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020–2021)

Mental health trajectories of Brazilian health workers during two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020–2021)

Community Pharmacists’ Beliefs about Suboptimal Practice during the Times of COVID-19

Survey on the Mental Health of Dispensing Pharmacists in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region (France)

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