Peer support as a potential tool to promote pharmacists' wellbeing

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Practice
• Occupational Health
• Psychosocial Support

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic significantly increased stress and disrupted wellbeing for healthcare professionals, including community pharmacists.
• Community pharmacists played a crucial role in maintaining patient care amidst rising COVID-19 cases and deaths.
• The World Health Organization recommended long-term changes in healthcare workplaces, emphasizing psychosocial support for employees.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the potential benefits of peer support programs for community pharmacists, particularly those in the early stages of their careers.
• To address the reported feelings of stress, undervaluation, and lack of support among early-career community pharmacists.
• To investigate if peer support, successful in other healthcare groups, can reduce burnout and enhance workplace engagement in this population.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on burnout among healthcare professionals, with a focus on community pharmacists.
• Examination of the feasibility and efficacy of peer support programs in other professional groups (nurses, physicians, medical students).
• Analysis of research indicating the isolation and support needs of early-career community pharmacists.

Main Results:

• Peer support programs have demonstrated reduced burnout and increased workplace engagement in other healthcare cohorts.
• Community pharmacists, especially early-career ones, often work in relative isolation and report feeling stressed and unsupported.
• There is a noted desire among younger pharmacists for mentoring or coaching programs.

Conclusions:

• Peer support presents a promising, low-cost, and accessible intervention to mitigate burnout in community pharmacists.
• Further research is warranted to validate the effectiveness of peer support for early-career community pharmacists.
• Implementing peer support initiatives could enhance workplace engagement and address the unique challenges faced by isolated practitioners.