Intra and Inter-professional working: how have pharmacists’ working practices changed during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Abstract

IntroductionCOVID-19 has acted as a catalyst for radical changes in the working practices of pharmacists. While there is emerging evidence of adaptability mitigating burnout amongst pharmacists in other countries (1), what has yet to be established is the extent to which the well-being and resilience of pharmacists in the UK may be supported through changes in intra and inter-professional working practices.AimAs part of a wider project aiming to explore the impact of COVID-19 on pharmacists’ wellbeing and resilience, in this abstract we present findings exploring the impact on working relationships within pharmacy and multidisciplinary teams.MethodsAn online questionnaire containing validated measures of wellbeing and resilience and free-text open questions exploring the impact of COVID-19 on working practices was piloted on five practising pharmacists. This questionnaire was subsequently distributed via social media and professional networks in June 2020. Convenience sampling was used whereby any UK-registered pharmacist in a patient-facing role was eligible to take part. Inductive thematic analysis of the free text responses was conducted. This abstract presents one key theme; intra and inter-professional relationships.ResultsA total of 202 questionnaires were completed (Table 1), with 192 participants entering free-text responses.Table 1:Demographic information of pharmacists completing the online questionnaire Number (%) Sector (n=200*) Community56 (28%)GP practice10 (5%)Hospital111 (56%)Other16 (8%)Split role7 (4%) Employment status (n=200*) Business owner3 (2%)Employee189 (95%)Self-employed6 (3%)Other2 (1%) Working hours (n=200*) Full time135 (68%)Part time60 (30%)Variable2 (1.5%)Other3 (1%) Returned to practice in response to pandemic (n=198*) Yes17** (9%)No181 (91%) Year of registration as pharmacist (n=200*) Range1979–2020Median2006Mode2013, 2019 Gender (n=201*) Female150 (75%)Male51 (25%) Caring for dependents at home (n=195*) Yes84 (43%)No111 (57%)* Number of participants completing each question** 7 community, 9 hospital, 1 otherParticipants reported pharmacy teams becoming closer, supporting one another and working more cohesively. Work redesign and staff upskilling were given as positive examples of practice change in response to the pandemic. Reported challenges included managing conflict within a team due to heightened stress, sustaining staff morale, exhaustion, and prioritising others to the detriment of their own wellbeing: “I have no time for myself as I'm too busy keeping the day to day working and supporting my team emotionally. I'm emotionally exhausted and at home I withdraw and ignore the outside world as I'm at breaking point but don’t want my colleagues to see this.”Inter-professional relationships sometimes improved as a result of more effective communication, extended networking and pharmacists feeling valued and recognised as integral to multidisciplinary working. Supportive inter-professional working was described as a “Great sense of comradery - we're in this together”. Yet for others, inter-professional working proved challenging, with non-engagement of clinicians, frequently changing guidance from senior management, and restricted staff interaction due to remote or shift working.ConclusionsWhilst for some the pandemic facilitated improved inter- and intra- professional interactions, for others this was viewed as challenges of daily practice. Due to recruiting via social media, this study is limited by the response numbers and is therefore not representative of all UK registered pharmacists. However, a key strength is that pharmacists from all sectors of practice responded, in comparison to other studies which have focused solely on community pharmacists. Results from this study can be used to support sustainable change in fostering collaborative working within pharmacy and multi-professional healthcare teams.