Stratification of burnout in health‐system pharmacists during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A focus on the ambulatory care pharmacist

INTRODUCTION: Burnout is defined as high emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, and low personal accomplishment from work. Prevalence of burnout among health‐system and ambulatory care pharmacists is unknown during the COVID‐19 pandemic. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this research is to analyze burnout prevalence among health‐system pharmacists (HSPs) and ambulatory care pharmacists (ACPs) using the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory and Maslach Burnout Inventory. METHODS: An electronic survey was sent to HSPs at two academic health systems in Chicago, IL. Demographics, risk of burnout based on two validated assessments (the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory [OLBI] and the Maslach Burnout Inventory [MBI]), burnout contributors, burnout mitigation strategies, and change in burnout due to COVID‐19 were collected. Burnout was defined as meeting any one criterion for high burnout on the following dimensions: exhaustion score and disengagement on the OLBI, and emotional exhaustion and depersonalization on the MBI. The co‐primary outcomes were the prevalence of burnout among HSPs, and the comparison of ACP burnout to that of non‐ambulatory HSPs. Secondary outcomes were comparison of burnout between the OLBI and MBI assessments, conceptualization of the causes and contributors of burnout and mitigation strategies among HSPs, and the self‐perceived effect of COVID‐19 on burnout severity. RESULTS: Of the 113 pharmacists included in the study, HSP burnout prevalence as defined above was 87.6%, ACP burnout was 88.4%, and non‐ambulatory HSP burnout was 87.1%. There was no statistical difference between ACP and non‐ambulatory HSP burnout prevalence, either overall or in any specific burnout dimension. The OLBI and MBI captured similar rates of burnout. The commonly reported burnout causes were staffing and scheduling issues, precepting requirements, and patient needs. Participants' most reported coping strategies were spending time with family/friends, sleep, exercise, and recreational/relaxation activities. A majority of HSPs (78.2%) reported higher levels of burnout due to COVID‐19. CONCLUSION: HSP burnout during COVID‐19 pandemic is higher than cited in the pre‐COVID literature. Individual coping strategies are poor buffers for work‐related burnout.