Compassion fatigue and satisfaction among pharmacists: Prevalence and associated factors

The rising rate of chronic illnesses and infections, including Covid-19 have placed enormous pressure on pharmacists. The high workload and constant exposure to the suffering of their patients make pharmacists more likely to experience chronic fatigue, including compassion fatigue (CF). There has been a rise in CF rates across the healthcare workforce with CF been noted as a risk factor for increased medication errors, poor patient care, absenteeism, and staff turnover. While CF has been extensively studied in other healthcare workplace contexts such as nursing and social work, compassion fatigue remains understudied in the pharmacy workplace context. The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence and factors associated with compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction among pharmacists.

Fifty-four pharmacists working in a midwestern state in the United States completed an anonymous online survey, containing the Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL), Brief Resilience and Coping, demographics, and a brief meditation history questionnaire.

Most respondents identified as White (70 %), were 26-33 years old and reported working 41-60 h weekly. Respondents reported moderate levels of compassion satisfaction (34.23 ± 6.11), low to moderate levels of burnout (25.02 ± 6.28), low secondary traumatic stress (21.07 ± 5.63), and overall moderate CF scores (46.38 ± 11.07). Community pharmacists reported the highest levels of STS and the lowest compassion satisfaction.

Workplace setting, work hours, and meditation practice were associated with CF and compassion satisfaction levels among pharmacists. Multi-faceted interventions that improve working conditions and prioritize self-care among pharmacists are needed.