Evaluating burnout among clinical pharmacists across 23 governorates in Egypt: a cross-sectional study

The growth in services provided by clinical pharmacists in Egypt and their collaborative work with physicians contribute to enhancing patient safety and realizing favorable clinical outcomes. Several studies highlighted that clinical pharmacists may be susceptible to burnout. Hence, we are conducting this study due to a lack of research evaluating the prevalence of burnout among clinical pharmacists in Egypt.

We conducted a cross-sectional study on clinical pharmacists in Egypt from October 2022 to January 2023. The questionnaire included demographic characteristics and Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI). A p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant in all tests.

Two hundred twenty-two clinical pharmacists filled out the survey, 75% had moderate and above burnout levels (CBI ≥ 50). Three multivariate models were built to explore burnout across personal, work-related, and patient-related domains. Our key findings indicate that individuals facing financial strain (insufficient income and debt) are significantly more likely to experience higher burnout. Additionally, those with a master's degree (compared to a bachelor's in pharmacy) are more prone to work-related burnout. Furthermore, an association exists between more years of experience and elevated levels of both work and personal burnout. Lastly, direct patient contact and being female are linked to higher personal burnout. In terms of univariate predictors for high overall burnout (CBI ≥ 75), more years of experience and being in debt are significantly associated with higher odds of burnout (with odds ratios of 1.08 and 6.00, respectively). The back stepwise regression model reinforces the impact of years of experience, suggesting that for each additional year of experience, the odds of high burnout increase by approximately 8.4% CONCLUSION: The prevalence of burnout among clinical pharmacists is high. Demographic characteristics may significantly influence burnout levels within specific domains. Notably, pharmacists with more years of experience are more likely to experience high burnout. These findings are alarming and warrant further investigation. Proper interventions are needed to identify the reasons behind this trend among more experienced pharmacists. By identifying these factors, we can develop effective strategies to mitigate burnout and promote well-being in this group of professional healthcare providers.