Search

Pandemic-related pressures and responsibilities increase the likelihood of burnout for all health care professionals. The consequences of burnout are significant, as it has been linked to high anxiety, increased turnover, decreased employee morale, higher absenteeism, and lower quality of service. To date, most research explores burnout's relationship with these variables in isolation. This study explores the anxiety, burnout, and employee engagement relationships among community pharmacists during the global pandemic. Pharmacists in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan completed an online questionnaire that asked questions related to their levels of anxiety, burnout, and work engagement among other control variables. The relationships among the variables were explored via SPSS and the moderation and mediation PROCESS macro. The findings suggest that burnout fully mediates the anxiety and employee engagement relationship, suggesting that anxiety alone is not enough to reduce employee engagement. The results confirm burnout's relationship with anxiety and lack of engagement and provide a more specific understanding of burnout's antecedents and consequences, offering important insight for academics and practitioners. Due to the positive implications of eliminating burnout and the importance of employee engagement to organisational performance, managers should seek to reduce workplace stress to avoid burnout and disengagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the impact of mindfulness meditation offered in a community pharmacy on patients with current anxiety or a history of anxiety, depression, or both.Setting: Community pharmacy clinical space located in a grocery store.Practice Description: An 8-week, once-per-week mindfulness meditation program for patients with anxiety or depression.Practice Innovation: A pharmacist provided mindfulness meditation within the clinical space in a community pharmacy.Evaluation: PHQ-9 and GAD-7 were used to assess prestudy and poststudy depression and anxiety severity, respectively. Items pertaining to participant demographics and experience in the program were also included.Results: Twelve participants completed the study requirements. Three-quarters of participants experienced a reduction in the severity of their depression or anxiety, and no participant experienced an increase in the severity of his or her condition.Conclusion: Findings from this study indicated that a mindfulness meditation program delivered in a community pharmacy and provided by a pharmacist for patients with depression or anxiety, or both, can result in a reduction in severity of their conditions for participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Community pharmacists are increasingly seeking advanced certification in various clinical areas, including diabetes. However, it is unclear as to how much patients are aware of this advanced training and how they would like specialized services to be provided. Objectives: To discern patients’ level of awareness and understanding of the Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE) designation, the level of support for CDE pharmacists’ services, and if the CDE designation would have any influence on patronage patterns. Methods: A convenience sample of people with diabetes was asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire at 1 of 10 community pharmacies. Questionnaires were completed and returned in a self-addressed envelope. Descriptive statistics were performed, followed by post hoc analysis including principal component analysis to evidence questionnaire validity and discern latent attitudinal structure. Results: There were 121 completed questionnaires returned (37.1% response rate). Fifty-four percent of respondents reported knowing of the CDE designation, whereas 82% were unaware that pharmacists could become a CDE. On learning of a CDE pharmacist in their community, 59% would likely schedule an appointment, whereas 27% would schedule an appointment if a fee was charged. The 2 constructs emerging from analysis were the patient/pharmacist relationship and pharmacist as CDE. Those who reported a relationship with their pharmacist were more likely to discuss their diabetes with a CDE pharmacist and schedule an appointment if a fee was charged. Respondents who reported a high level of importance of pharmacists as CDEs felt that a CDE pharmacist improves the image of the pharmacy. Conclusions: There appears to be little awareness that pharmacists may become CDEs. The patient-pharmacist relationship and whether a fee is being charged influence whether respondents’ would see a CDE pharmacist. Many indicated that they would be willing to see a CDE pharmacist if they knew one was available, yet it may not be a big enough factor to influence where their prescriptions are filled. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Background: In recent years, the number of independently owned pharmacies has declined even as the total number of pharmacies in Canada has increased. With increasing corporate ownership, there is concern that this trend will adversely affect the profession’s ability to influence pharmacy practice and practice change. Objective: To examine the relationship between ownership type and community pharmacy managers in terms of professional and employer authority, managerial autonomy, decision making, and amount of control. Methods: This study consisted of a cross-sectional survey of community pharmacy managers in Canada by means of a self-administered postal questionnaire sent to a stratified sample of community pharmacies. Statistical analysis consisted of exploratory factor analysis with reliability testing on identified constructs. Frequencies, 1-way analyses of variance, Scheffe post hoc tests, and general linear modeling were used to determine significant differences among groups based on ownership type. Results: In total, 646 of 1961 questionnaires from pharmacy managers were completed and returned (response rate 32.9%). Respondents rated their authority similarly across ownership types. Autonomy, decision-making capabilities, and control needed to carry out the professional role appear most limited among corporate respondents and, to a lesser extent, franchise managers. Conclusions: Pharmacy managers currently perceive a high level of authority; but with limited autonomy among corporate managers, it is unclear whether this authority is sufficient to prevent the subordination of both patient and professional interests to financial interests. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Background: Ownership of community pharmacies is increasingly being controlled by a relatively small number of corporate entities. The influence of this ownership type should not be ignored, because ownership has the ability to impact pharmacy practice. Objectives: To examine the relationship between ownership type and community pharmacy managers with regard to role orientation, role affinity, and role conflict. Methods: This study consisted of a cross-sectional survey of community pharmacy managers in Canada by means of a self-administered postal questionnaire sent to a stratified sample of community pharmacies. Statistical analysis consisted of exploratory factor analysis with reliability testing on identified constructs. Frequencies, 1-way analyses of variance, and Scheffe post hoc tests were used to determine significant differences among groups, including ownership structure, on each of the constructs. Results: A total of 646 completed questionnaires were received (32.9% response rate). Most of the respondents were males (60.8%), with slightly less than half of the respondents identifying their practice type as an independent pharmacy (44.6%). There were 5 multi-item scale constructs (professional orientation, business orientation, professional affinity, business affinity, and role conflict) arising from the data, which were analyzed against the pharmacy ownership structure (independent, franchise, corporate) independent variable. Analysis revealed significant differences for 3 of the 5 constructs; however, no differences were seen regarding the 2 professionally focused constructs. Conclusions: Community pharmacy managers/owners are generally oriented to their professional role; however, those working in a corporate pharmacy environment are less oriented to their business role when compared with those working in an independent or franchise pharmacy environment. Further research is needed to identify different practice cultures that may exist in various practice settings and the extent to which these cultures attract or define the managers working in them. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]