Burnout and resilience among pharmacy technicians: A Singapore study

Burnout describes emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DP), and low personal achievement caused by work and is known to bring about negative consequences to practitioners, patients, and health systems. Various organizational and personal factors, such as organizational strategies and resilience, have been associated with this phenomenon. However, there is a paucity of data describing the prevalence of burnout among pharmacy staff within Singapore and Asia, especially in the pharmacy technician (PT) population.

This study aimed to (1) quantify burnout in PTs in patient-care sectors in Singapore and (2) explore factors that may be associated with burnout.

A cross-sectional survey among PTs in patient-care areas in Singapore, which includes hospitals, primary and secondary care institutions, and retail pharmacies, across both public and private sectors was conducted from February to April 2020. The Maslach Burnout Inventory - Human Services Survey and Brief Resilience Scale were used to assess burnout and resilience among participants. Demographic, employment, and well-being information were also collected and summarized. Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression were used to assess associations between burnout and potential risk and impact factors.

Slightly more than half (52.0%) of PTs reported burnout (EE score ≥27 or DP ≥10 or both). Statistically significant factors associated with burnout include resilience, age, years of experience, ethnicity, marital status, nationality, highest qualifications, pharmacy-related certification, full-time employment status, and work hours. Impact associated with burnout includes intent for job change, job satisfaction, sleep, and presence of mental conditions. Statistically significant reported reasons for burnout and ways to build resilience were also elucidated.

Burnout affects most PTs in Singapore and is primarily driven by workload and nature of their work, low resilience, and poor social support structures. National and organizational efforts are needed to arrest the vicious cycle that propagates burnout in PTs.