Burnout and resilience among pharmacists: A Singapore study

Abstract

Background: Rising demand in healthcare in recent years has placed significant stress on healthcare professionals and has inevitably led to increasing levels of burnout. While associated factors and negative consequences of burnout have been quantified within various professions, there is a paucity of data describing its prevalence and impact among pharmacists, and within the Asia-Pacific region. Objectives: To assess the prevalence of, and characterize risk factors, that may be associated with burnout among pharmacists in patient care sectors in Singapore. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among pharmacists in patient care sectors in Singapore from February to April 2020. Participation invites to the survey were disseminated by pharmacy managers in patient care areas across all healthcare institutions in Singapore. The Maslach Burnout Inventory Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) was used to assess the prevalence of burnout in the respondent, and the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) and Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy (JSPE) to evaluate resilience and empathy respectively. Demographic characteristics were also collected and summarized. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to explore associations between burnout and potential risk factors. Possible impact from burnout was also assessed as part of the questionnaire. Burnout was defined as a high emotional exhaustion (EE, ≥27) or depersonalization (DP, ≥10) score on the MBI-HSS. Results: Seven hundred and six out of 1289 pharmacists (54.8%) completed the survey, of which 61.5% of respondents experienced burnout. Factors associated with burnout included institution of practice, hours at work, number of patient care hours, resilience, and empathy. Pharmacists with burnout had a higher propensity to seek a job change, were less satisfied with work, and took more medical leave than non-burnout counterparts. Conclusion: Burnout among Singapore pharmacists is prevalent and deserves attention. Comprehensive strategies are needed to mitigate the potential negative consequences that may arise from increasing levels of burnout.