Feeling the burn? A systematic review of burnout in pharmacists

Burnout is high among health care professionals. In physicians, burnout is linked to suboptimal well-being and patient care, but the overall landscape of pharmacist burnout is unknown. Synthesis of available data regarding pharmacist burnout is needed to better understand its effects on well-being and professional practice. This systematic review sought to determine the prevalence and intensity of burnout in pharmacists. The aim of the study was the systematic review of articles on pharmacist burnout. PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and PsycINFO were searched for articles through February 13, 2019. Search strategies combined terms for pharmacists and burnout (including job satisfaction, stress, and resilience). The primary outcome was the proportion of pharmacists who met criteria for burnout. Secondary outcomes included the mean scores for Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) subscales, difference between pharmacist practice settings, and factors contributing to burnout. Raw scores and threshold proportions were pooled using a Hartung-Knapp random-effects model. Five articles reported the proportion of high emotional exhaustion (EE) and depersonalization (DP) and low personal accomplishment (PA), and nine articles reported individual MBI subscale scores, which were included for quantitative analysis. The proportion values of pharmacists with MBI subscale scores consistent with burnout were 41% (95% CI 27%-54%), 20% (95% CI 7%-32%), and 32% (95% 14%-50%) for high EE, high DP, and low PA, respectively. Mean MBI subscales scores were 23.53 (95% CI 21.68-25.39), 7.07 (95% CI 6.22-7.92), and 36.51 (95% CI 34.34-38.67) for EE, DP, and PA, respectively. Substantial heterogeneity was observed. The burnout prevalence among pharmacists is lower than previously reported, but notable. The average MBI subscale scores for high EE or DP or low PA in pharmacists did not meet criteria for burnout.