Abstract
To clarify factors associated with stress among pharmacists engaged in home healthcare, we conducted a mail questionnaire survey of pharmacies providing home healthcare services in 3 Tokai prefectures（ Aichi, Gifu, and Mie）,using the “Questionnaire on Home Pharmaceutical Service” and “Pharmacist’s Stress Scale for Home Care
（PSS）”, and obtained valid responses from 399 pharmacists. The PSS consists of 51 items of 5 factors: “1. Difficulty and feeling of incompetence in patient care”, “2. Relationship with superiors and work environment”, “3. Burdens related to work load and work contents”, “4. Communication with patients and families”, and “5. Communication with other professions”. We calculated the mean value and standard deviation for each factor, and compared them based on attributes and backgrounds. The results showed that pharmacists engaged in home healthcare perceived stress due to “3. Burdens related to work load and work contents”. The comparison based on pharmacists’ attributes revealed associations between their stress due to “2. Relationship with superiors and work environment” and being female, a short working experience in home healthcare, managerial or full-time job, and short wage working hours per week. Furthermore, the mean score was higher for items related to interaction with patients and end-of-life care, and interpersonal work and patient death were feared stressors. In light of these factors, it is necessary to consider the improvement of the work environment and training programs.
