General wellbeing and work impacts among community pharmacists during crisis management

Background: Community pharmacists are highly accessible for advice, as most pharmacies are open long hours and no appointment is needed. Community pharmacists, as essential community health workers, play a critical role in the fight against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This study aimed to determine the general wellbeing and work impacts of pharmacists and the factors important for adaptability and resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This study adopted a cross-sectional design. Community pharmacists from various professional networks in Australia were invited through emails and social media posts to complete an anonymous online survey during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Victoria, Australia. Results: Sixty-five community pharmacists completed the online survey. The respondents reported fair levels of general wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a mean self-related health score of 33.57 (s.d. = 13.19) out of a maximal of 96, despite relatively high levels of job stress and emotional labour. Lower levels of general wellbeing were correlated with higher levels of job stress (r = 0.645, P < 0.01) and emotional labour (r = 0.513, P < 0.01), and lower levels of occupational self-efficacy (r = −0.566, P < 0.01). Leader member exchange was negatively correlated with job stress (r = −0.419, P < 0.01) and positively correlated with psychological safety (r = 0.693, P < 0.01). The linear regression models showed that female pharmacists had lower occupational self-efficacy (β = −0.286, P = 0.024), but higher psychological safety (β = 0.234, P = 0.042). Higher work ability was associated with lower job stress (β = −0.529, P < 0.001), higher occupational self-efficacy (β = 0.511, P = 0.001), and poorer self-related health (β = −0.659, P < 0.001). Conclusions: The findings highlight the importance of a supportive work environment in helping community pharmacists to feel psychologically safe and reduce stress during a crisis

Guidance to implementing evidence-based initiatives to manage pandemics in healthcare services: a discussion paper

Planning and implementing surge capacity in healthcare services is challenging. The evolving nature of viral transmission makes it difficult to predict the potential impact on the health system and the readiness of healthcare managers and professional staff in responding to system transformation and consequential impacts. This is compounded by sudden increased demands in the types of work required. Guidance for implementing targeted strategies for health systems and services should include evidence that considers the feasibility, appropriateness, meaningfulness and effectiveness of healthcare practices at both the system and organization level. This is consistent with the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) model of evidence synthesis and translation. Evidence-based decision-making is a core management competency for health service leadership and the mechanism for improving the quality of management decisions, and hence better service delivery, effectiveness and efficiency. Human resources are the most important asset in crisis management. Health managers must create responsive surge capacity by quantifying existent human and material resources and the shortfall needs required to meet anticipated additional demand. We believe a multifaceted approach is the key to developing systemic surge capacity within the heath sector when faced with the management of crises such as pandemics. We explore and discuss the desirability of strategies based on the JBI model of evidence synthesis and implementation with a view to encouraging the creation of registries and follow-up systems. We believe this will encourage the effective use of human resources including the upskilling in how future crises may be addressed