Abstract
Introduction: Work in the field of healthcare is accompanied by considerable emotional tension. Pharmacists are at risk of professional burnout, but so far, there is very little scientific research in this professional group in Bulgaria.
 Objective: To study the presence of Burnout Syndrome among Bulgarian pharmacists and perform an analysis according to the demographic characteristics of respondents.
 Material and Methods: A pilot study was conducted for the presence of Burnout Syndrome among 142 pharmacists in Varna, Bulgaria, working in different areas of the pharmaceutical sector: pharmacies for public services, hospital pharmacies, pharmaceutical companies, higher education institution. The information was collected using an anonymous questionnaire that included the specialized Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) tool to examine professional burnout according to three subscales: emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and personal accomplishment.
 Results: Higher levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation were found in male respondents in comparison to women, while the values between the two genders were almost similar according to the professional achievement subscale. The most vulnerable group was the male group at the age of 31-40. Pharmacists over the age of 50 had lower levels of burnout as they had developed good habits to deal with stress.
 Conclusion: Gaining professional experience in pharmacists is associated with an increase in the levels of professional burnout. High levels of depersonalisation are a prerequisite for worse quality of pharmaceutical care.
Highlights
Work in the field of healthcare is accompanied by considerable emotional tension
Gaining professional experience in pharmacists is associated with an increase in the levels of professional burnout
The term was first introduced in 1974 by Freudenberger. He described the presence of burnout in therapists who worked with drug addicts in the United States and determined it as a state of fatigue or frustration triggered by a commitment to a cause, lifestyle or ambition that cannot produce the expected reward (Freudenberger, 1974)
Summary
Work in the field of healthcare is accompanied by considerable emotional tension. Pharmacists are at risk of professional burnout, but so far, there is very little scientific research in this professional group in Bulgaria. Burnout or professional burnout is a term that has gained widespread popularity. This term describes the emotional, mental and physical exhaustion directly related to the occupational environment observed in healthy people (Maslach et al, 2001). The term was first introduced in 1974 by Freudenberger He described the presence of burnout in therapists who worked with drug addicts in the United States and determined it as a state of fatigue or frustration triggered by a commitment to a cause, lifestyle or ambition that cannot produce the expected reward (Freudenberger, 1974). Cristina Maslach, an American professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, USA, deepened her research on the problem and developed and validated the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) to distinguish occupational burnout from other mental illnesses. According to the MBI, symptoms are classified according to three scales: emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and personal accomplishment (performance)
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