Staying Strong – Building resilience in pharmacy
Pharmacy teams have been on the frontline throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and that has had a significant impact on their mental health and wellbeing. Whilst challenging, could this unprecedented time act as a catalyst for them to build further mental resilience?
Pre-pandemic data reveals:
- 75% of US pharmacist experienced burnout, while 11% of Italian community pharmacists had clinically relevant burnout levels1-3
- In China, 87% of pharmacists had burnout indicators4
- Some 58% of UK pharmacists found their job stressful and up to 1 in 6 expected to quit within the next five years.5
It is fair to say that COVID-19 exacerbated mental health concerns in pharmacy. 83% of UK pharmacists reported high stress levels during the pandemic and almost 9 out of 10 were at high risk of burnout.6,7 In France, 17% of pharmacists have also experienced post-traumatic symptoms since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.8
Natural fears over contracting the coronavirus (more than 6 out of 10 Canadian pharmacists were concerned about their/their staff’s safety during the pandemic9) heightened stresses even further.
We believe that recognising and acknowledging the mental health impact of COVID-19 on pharmacists’ mental wellbeing can act as a catalyst for change, and that even simple everyday adjustments can help build mental resilience and support better mental health.
“If I’m worried I’m going to get sick, there’s no way I can do my job well, and there’s no way I’m going to do the million extra things pharmacists do to help patients. All my energy is being diverted to simply keeping me and my family safe and disease free. That’s no way to run a business” – Canadian pharmacist.10
How COVID-19 has impacted pharmacy
Pharmacists and their teams were on the frontline during the pandemic. Discover more about how rising to the COVID-19 challenge impacted every aspect of life for pharmacy teams.
A crucial time of change in pharmacy
The pandemic highlighted the vital role pharmacies play in their communities, find out more about what this means for the future.
Organisational enablers of mental resilience in pharmacy
Discover how making smart organisational changes to the way you work can help to improve resilience for your pharmacy team.
Personal enablers of mental resilience in pharmacy
Get tips and advice on how to manage personal wellbeing at work to help support better mental health.
GSK support in mental resilience
Discover more about how GSK Consumer Healthcare is working with expert partners to support the mental health and wellbeing of pharmacy teams.
Tips to help build mental resilience
Download expert tips to help support mental health and wellbeing for you and your team – now and in the future.
