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Review
. 2023 Oct;45(5):1027-1036.
doi: 10.1007/s11096-022-01520-6. Epub 2022 Nov 29.

A systematic review and pooled prevalence of burnout in pharmacists

Jodie Dee  1 , Nabaa Dhuhaibawi  1 , John C Hayden  2
Affiliations
Review

A systematic review and pooled prevalence of burnout in pharmacists

Jodie Dee et al. Int J Clin Pharm. 2023 Oct.

Abstract

Background: Burnout is an occupational phenomenon caused by ineffectively managed work-related stress. Burnout is common among healthcare professionals and has the capacity to compromise patient care, but is not well characterised in pharmacists.

Aim: This systematic review aimed to establish the prevalence of burnout among pharmacists, and its associated risk factors.

Method: A systematic search of Embase, PubMed, CINAHL and PsychInfo was carried out. Studies were included using the following eligibility criteria; original research investigating burnout prevalence in pharmacists in patient-facing roles in any jurisdiction, using any validated burnout measurement instrument. No language or date barriers were set. Data were extracted by the first author and accuracy checked by co-authors. A pooled prevalence was estimated, and narrative synthesis provided.

Results: Burnout prevalence data were extracted from 19 articles involving 11,306 pharmacist participants across eight countries. More than half (51%) of pharmacists were experiencing burnout. Associated risk factors included longer working hours, less professional experience, high patient and prescription volumes, excessive workload and poor work/life balance. The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted pharmacist burnout and resilience. Involvement in education and training and access to burnout management resources were associated with lower rates of burnout, but burnout intervention effectiveness is unknown.

Conclusion: Burnout remains high among pharmacists and may negatively affect the quality of patient care. There is significant heterogeneity pertaining to the definition and assessment of burnout and there remains a need to identify and evaluate effective individual and organisational burnout interventions.

Keywords: Burnout; Pharmacists; Professional wellbeing; Systematic review.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta analyses (PRISMA) flow diagram
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Pooled prevalence estimate of Burnout in Pharmacists. ES = estimate of prevalence (per study) with associated confidence interval and is calculated using STATA® metaprop command. The hatched line represents the pooled mean estimate to allow for comparison with individual contributing studies
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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