Objectives: This study aimed to 1) determine the validity of the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) for use in the assessment of burnout in a sample of pharmacists using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and 2) use the CBI items and other measures of work-life to assess burnout in pharmacists employed in various types of practice. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was administered to a sample of 2,582 pharmacists in a single Midwestern US state. The survey included the three subscales of the CBI, each of which measures personal, work-related, and patient-related dimensions of burnout. Other items included demographics, practice type, workload, and work-life balance. CFA was used to measure fit, and Cronbach’s alpha was used to assess reliability. Correlation was used to assess criterion validity of the CBI. Logistic regression and bivariate analyses were used to assess pharmacist burnout based on demographics. Results: Following the removal of 2 items from the measurement model, a 17-item 3-factor CBI was found to possess satisfactory psychometric properties for use in pharmacists. The CBI correlated with measures of work-life demonstrating criterion validity. A logistic regression showed that younger pharmacists and community pharmacists experience higher burnout than older pharmacists and clinical pharmacists. Community pharmacists also more often reported high workloads and poorer work-life integration. Both community and clinic pharmacists desired more time providing patient care services and less time dispensing. Conclusion: The CBI is a psychometrically reliable and valid instrument for assessing burnout in pharmacists. Younger pharmacists and community pharmacists warrant attention due to their higher degree of burnout.

Most research on pharmacist professional wellbeing has focused on measuring burnout. However, using valid and reliable instruments to assess professional fulfillment in pharmacists can expand understanding of pharmacists’ professional wellbeing. This study aimed to (1) establish the validity of the Professional Fulfillment Index (PFI) for a sample of pharmacists licensed in the United States (US) using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and (2) compare the professional wellbeing of pharmacists across demographics and work settings. Data for this study were obtained from the 2019 National Pharmacy Workforce Survey (NPWS). The survey assessed pharmacist professional wellbeing using the PFI. The model fit of the PFI was assessed using CFA. Multiple linear regression was used to compare pharmacist wellbeing across demographics and work settings. The CFA affirmed that the PFI possesses a satisfactory model fit for use in pharmacists. Regression analysis showed higher burnout (work exhaustion and interpersonal disengagement) was associated with decreasing age, being female, working more hours, and working in a community pharmacy. Higher professional fulfillment was associated with men, and working in non-community pharmacy work settings. The PFI is a psychometrically reliable and valid instrument for assessing the professional wellbeing of pharmacists.

This study applied a hermeneutic phenomenological approach to better understand pharmacy workplace wellbeing and resilience using respondents’ written comments along with a blend of the researchers’ understanding of the phenomenon and the published literature. Our goal was to apply this understanding to recommendations for the pharmacy workforce and corresponding future research. Data were obtained from the 2021 APhA/NASPA National State-Based Pharmacy Workplace Survey, launched in the United States in April 2021. Promotion of the online survey to pharmacy personnel was accomplished through social media, email, and online periodicals. Responses continued to be received through the end of 2021. A data file containing 6973 responses was downloaded on 7 January 2022 for analysis. Usable responses were from those who wrote an in-depth comment detailing stories and experiences related to pharmacy workplace and resilience. There were 614 respondents who wrote such comments. The findings revealed that business models driven by mechanized assembly line processes, business metrics that supersede patient outcomes, and reduction of pharmacy personnel’s professional judgement have contributed to the decline in the experience of providing patient care in today’s health systems. The portrait of respondents’ lived experiences regarding pharmacy workplace wellbeing and resilience was beyond the individual level and revealed the need for systems change. We propose several areas for expanded inquiry in this domain: (1) shared trauma, (2) professional responsibility and autonomy, (3) learned subjection, (4) moral injury and moral distress, (5) sociocultural effects, and (6) health systems change.

Background: There is a need to train healthcare professionals to provide first aid to people experiencing a mental health crisis. Research testing the association between Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training and the use of MHFA behaviors could provide evidence of program effectiveness in the pharmacy setting. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to measure the preparedness of pharmacy professionals to function in a MHFA role, and compare preparedness and the use of MHFA behaviors based on demographic characteristics. Methods: Pharmacists and student pharmacists attended MHFA training under a multi-state pharmacy initiative in 2018. An anonymous electronic survey was administered to 227 participants using 4 contacts in May to June, 2019. The survey evaluated if participants had recommended MHFA to others, their preparedness to engage in MHFA behaviors (13 items), and their frequency of performing a set of MHFA behaviors (7 items). Descriptive statistics, bivariate analysis, and ANOVA were used to describe the sample and compare these variables across groups. Results: The analysis was based on 96 responses (42.3%). Almost all respondents (96%) had recommended MHFA training to others. Respondents reported that the training program prepared them to provide a range of MHFA behaviors for multiple mental health conditions, particularly for depression and anxiety. Participants most often reported asking about a distressed mood and listening non-judgmentally. Almost half of participants had asked someone if they were considering suicide and a similar percent had referred someone considering suicide to resources. Those reporting the highest levels of preparedness engaged in significantly more MHFA behaviors than those with lower levels of preparedness (p=0.017). Preparedness and use of MHFA behaviors were not significantly associated with respondent demographic characteristics. Conclusion: These data suggest that pharmacy professionals who had MHFA training felt prepared to engage in MHFA and many used behaviors like asking about suicide and making referrals since being trained in MHFA. Research is warranted to better understand what makes someone feel maximally prepared to use MHFA behaviors compared to lower feelings of preparedness.

Mixed methods research is increasingly used to investigate complex issues in health and healthcare. Purposeful integration of the qualitative and quantitative strands has a significant potential to yield insights that exceed the value of a study’s constituent qualitative and quantitative components alone. The philosophical foundations of mixed methods in pragmatism support the importance of integration as a focus of designing and conducting mixed methods research. Integration can be facilitated by considering and employing study components such as distinct mixed methods research questions, sampling strategies, data transformations, joint data displays and integrated narrative discussions. This manuscript explores the importance of integration in mixed-methods research, provides examples of these techniques used in pharmacy research and offers practical recommendations for implementing these techniques.