Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, 161 Cathedral Street, GlasgowG4 0RE, Scotland.
Public Health Scotland, Gyle Square, 1 South Gyle Crescent, EdinburghEH12 9EB, Scotland.
Prim Health Care Res Dev. 2022 Sep 12;23:e56. doi: 10.1017/S1463423622000445.
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted healthcare worldwide. It has altered service delivery and posed challenges to practitioners in relation to workload, well-being and support. Within primary care, changes in physicians' activities have been identified and innovative work solutions implemented. However, evidence is lacking regarding the impact of the pandemic on pharmacy personnel who work in primary care.
To explore the impact of the pandemic on the working practice (including the type of services provided) and job satisfaction of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians within Scottish general practice. Due to the stressful nature of the pandemic, we hypothesise that job satisfaction will have been negatively affected.
An online questionnaire was distributed in May-July 2021, approximately 15 months since initial lockdown measures in the UK. The questionnaire was informed by previous literature and underwent expert review and piloting. Analysis involved descriptive statistics, non-parametric statistical tests and thematic analysis.
180 participants responded (approximated 16.1% response rate): 134 pharmacists (74.4%) and 46 technicians (25.6%). Responses indicated greater involvement with administrative tasks and a reduction in the provision of clinical services, which was negatively perceived by pharmacists. There was an increase in remote working, although most participants continued to have a physical presence within general practices. Face-to-face interactions with patients reduced, which was negatively perceived by participants, and telephone consults were considered efficient yet less effective. Professional development activities were challenged by increased workloads and reduced support available. Although workplace stress was apparent, there was no indication of widespread job dissatisfaction.
The pandemic has impacted pharmacists and technicians, but it is unknown if changes will be permanent, and there is a need to understand which changes should continue. Future research should explore the impact of altered service delivery, including remote working, on patient care.
冠状病毒（COVID-19）大流行对全球的医疗保健产生了影响。它改变了服务的提供方式，给从业者在工作量、健康和支持方面带来了挑战。在初级保健中，已经确定了医生活动的变化，并实施了创新的工作解决方案。然而，关于在初级保健中工作的药剂师和药剂技术员人员受到大流行影响的证据尚缺乏。
探讨大流行对苏格兰全科医生中药剂师和药剂技术员的工作实践（包括提供的服务类型）和工作满意度的影响。由于大流行的紧张性质，我们假设工作满意度会受到负面影响。
2021 年 5 月至 7 月期间，在英国最初实施封锁措施约 15 个月后，我们分发了在线问卷。该问卷借鉴了以往的文献，并经过专家审查和试点测试。分析包括描述性统计、非参数统计检验和主题分析。
180 名参与者做出了回应（约占 16.1%的回应率）：134 名药剂师（74.4%）和 46 名技术员（25.6%）。答复表明行政任务的参与度更高，临床服务的提供减少，这被药剂师认为是负面的。远程工作有所增加，尽管大多数参与者仍在全科医生中存在实体存在。与患者的面对面互动减少，这被参与者认为是负面的，电话咨询被认为是高效但效果较差。由于工作量增加和可用支持减少，专业发展活动受到挑战。尽管工作场所压力明显，但没有表明普遍存在工作不满。
大流行对药剂师和技术员产生了影响，但尚不清楚这些变化是否是永久性的，并且需要了解哪些变化应该继续。未来的研究应该探索改变服务提供方式，包括远程工作，对患者护理的影响。
