© The Author(s) 2023
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COVID-19 raised the curtain on critical concerns about the mental health and wellness of front-line health-care workers, who began reporting extreme burnout and intentions to leave their profession.1 The results of CPhA’s first Mental Health and Wellness Survey in 2022 showed that pharmacy professionals are no exception—they too, have been experiencing poor mental health, low morale and a high risk of burnout.
It was apparent to CPhA that an initiative to support mental health and well-being in the workplace was necessary. The Pharmacy Workforce Wellness (PWW) initiative was established to address some of the issues highlighted by the survey and to conceptualize long-term solutions. This initiative encompasses various projects intended to improve mental health and to encourage resiliency in pharmacy professionals, as well as address labour market issues and advance pharmacy workforce planning. These projects are being guided by CPhA’s Pharmacy Wellness Task Force (PWTF) and Pharmacy Workforce Steering Committee (PWSC).
Guided by the results of the 2022 survey, the initial focus of the PWTF has been to curate a comprehensive set of tools to help pharmacy professionals manage their mental well-being and minimize stress experienced in the workplace. Members of the PWTF are located across Canada and meet virtually on a regular basis to discuss the progress and direction of projects. Each member represents a diverse pharmacy background, allowing for a variety of perspectives on initiatives.
CPhA conducted a second Mental Health and Wellness Survey in 2023 to measure change within the profession and to continue to guide the work of the PWTF. A total of 1136 pharmacists and pharmacy technicians across Canada participated in the survey, with results showing that although trends reflect reduced levels of stress and improved mental well-being overall, challenges and concerns for the profession remain.
One major area of concern in both surveys was increased reports of harassment, which were experienced at least on a weekly basis by 48% of pharmacy professionals in 2022 and 37% in 2023.
As a first step in addressing the problem, the PWTF developed “No tolerance for aggressive behaviour” posters that can be displayed in pharmacies as a visual reminder to the public that such behaviour will not be tolerated toward the pharmacy team. A common practice in many other health-care settings, these posters are intended to act as a base level of protection to minimize harassment, thus alleviating some of the stress that pharmacy professionals regularly experience in their place of practice. CPhA is pleased to announce that as of July 2023, the posters have reached a total of 1044 downloads since their release.
The number of pharmacy professionals who ranked their mental health as “good” or “very good” increased in the 2023 survey compared to 2022. A total of 32% of respondents reported good or very good mental health throughout the past year and 37% reported the same at the time they completed the survey, which are 11% and 15% increases, respectively, from the 2022 results. The risk of burnout across the profession also decreased from 92% in 2022 to 79% in 2023. While trending in the right direction, negative factors continue to contribute to poor mental health and burnout, including workload (79%), work-life balance (63%), regulatory requirements (59%), personal health (52%) and remuneration (49%).
It is encouraging to see improvements in the 2023 survey results; however, it is clear that many pharmacy professionals continue to be burdened by mental, emotional and physical exhaustion due to ongoing stress at work. In response, the PWTF has been developing a Wellness Toolkit that outlines various resources pharmacy professionals can use to address a range of issues, such as managing workload, addressing discrimination in the workplace and maintaining mental well-being, to name just a few. This Toolkit is the result of a thorough analysis of an evidence-based catalogue of resources produced by the Canadian Health Workforce Network, which initially highlighted 140 wellness interventions for health-care professionals. After evaluating the relevancy of these resources for pharmacy professionals specifically, a selection was chosen to be included as part of the Toolkit and is organized by the intended audience: pharmacy individuals, teams, organizations or system-level. These resources provide practical solutions to some of the negative factors contributing to poor mental health across the profession and will further improve the overall well-being of pharmacy staff. The resources for individual pharmacy professionals and teams are currently available on the CPhA website, with an aim to release the organization and system-level resources over the next 6 months after further assessment and discussion with a broad range of pharmacy stakeholders.
In 2022, a staggering 40% of pharmacy professionals reported that they had considered leaving their job, and a further 32% indicated they were prepared to leave the pharmacy profession altogether. In the 2023 survey, 32% were considering leaving their current job within the next year, and 28% reported thinking about leaving the profession entirely. In the face of these troubling results and with a widespread acknowledgement among pharmacy stakeholders of current labour market challenges, a New Brunswick Workforce Planning Study was launched as a pilot project to explore pharmacy human resources capacity now and into the future.
Jointly led by the New Brunswick Pharmacists’ Association and CPhA, this project was undertaken by Health Intelligence Inc., using an adjusted population needs–based methodology. The researchers used a forecasting model that incorporated information about the evolving health needs of the growing and aging population in New Brunswick, as well as changing primary care delivery models and expanding scopes of practice to predict the future need for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians over a 10-year period.
The findings reveal a shortage of pharmacy professionals in the province, with projections estimating the situation will worsen if intervention does not occur.
Solutions put forward by the researchers include developing and implementing a pharmacy workforce plan with broad stakeholder engagement and expanding pharmacy education in the province. We look forward to sharing the findings of the study with pharmacy stakeholders across Canada. This project will serve as a valuable guide for other provinces to evaluate the labour requirement and secure the future pharmacy workforce.
These are just some of the initiatives CPhA is working on as we continue our efforts towards building a resilient and adequately resourced Canadian pharmacy workforce.
In the coming months, the PWTF will release additional resources to complete the Wellness Toolkit to support mental health and well-being at all levels. The PWTF is also developing a set of wellness principles that individual pharmacy professionals and organizational leaders can implement to continue to encourage safe, inclusive and supportive work environments.
CPhA is also working to understand how International Pharmacy Graduates (IPGs) can be better supported throughout the licensure process in Canada. CPhA conducted a survey of IPGs this summer with the aim of understanding their greatest challenges, where processes could be improved and what supports they would benefit from most. Results from this survey and new initiatives to move this work forward will be available this fall.
To continue the momentum, we encourage you to get involved! Watch our website at www.pharmacists.ca/PWWcpj for updates.
Lindsay Rodwell is a third-year pharmacy student at the University of Waterloo, who received her Bachelor of Science from the University of Guelph, majoring in Biomedical Science. She completed her third co-op work term with Public and Professional Affairs at CPhA in the summer of 2023. Lindsay is passionate about using her knowledge to improve health outcomes through education and empowerment. When she graduates, Lindsay looks forward to providing care for patients in rural communities and continuously advocating for the profession of pharmacy.
Sadaf Faisal is a Canadian licensed pharmacist with over 15 years of experience in various pharmacy practice settings. She serves as the Director of Professional Affairs at the CPhA and holds a teaching appointment at the University of Waterloo’s School of Pharmacy. She holds a Ph.D. in Pharmacy from the University of Waterloo and has geriatric pharmacy certification through the Board of Pharmacy Specialties in the United States. Sadaf is dedicated to enhancing pharmacy practice and improving patient care in Canada.