Job Burnout and Organizational Engagement among Pharmacists in Private Hospitals in Thailand

Abstract

Objectives: To study 1) the level of job burnout and organizational engagement among pharmacists in private hospitals, and 2) factors affecting the level of job burnout and organizational engagement among pharmacists in private hospitals. Methods: The research design was a cross-sectional study. The subjects  consisted of 690 pharmacists in private hospitals. Data were collected by postal and online questionnaires. The level of job burnout was measured using the MBI-Human Services Survey based on Maslach and Jackson's concept and the level of organizational engagement was measured using the scale based on Allen and Meyer's conceptualization. Results: Mean scores of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment were 19.83±11.09, 3.80±4.51 and 12.15±6.76, respectively. Factors affecting burnout in the emotional exhaustion domain were marital status, comorbidities, hospital size and perceptions of job achievement (R² = 0.30). Those affecting depersonalization were age and perceptions of job achievement (R² = 0.26). Those affecting reduced personal accomplishment were the number of inpatients and perceived management system (R² = 0.24). Means organizational engagement in the domain of affective, continuance and normative commitment were 3.50±0.61, 3.29±0.45 and 3.26±0.60, respectively. Factors affecting affective commitment were gender, age, duration of work, job title and perceptions of job achievement (R² = 0.32). Those affecting continuance commitment were age, educational level, family burden, perceived job characteristics and perceptions of job achievement (R² = 0.21). Those affecting normative commitment were age, size of the hospital, perceived job characteristics and perceptions of job achievement (R² = 0.20). Conclusion: Most pharmacists in private hospitals had a low level of job burnout and a moderate to high level of organizational engagement. There were many factors that affected both job burnout and organizational engagement among pharmacists in private hospitals. Reduction or management of these factors could lead to a reduction in job burnout and an increase in organizational engagement.