Community Pharmacy Managers, Owners Must Address Workplace Violence

Pharmacies across the country are hubs for health care access in their communities. Although important for patient health care, pharmacies’ convenient locations leave staff prone to workplace violence. In 2018, the United States Bureau of Labor ranked health care as mostly likely to experience workplace violence.¹ Rates of nonfatal intentional injury by another person are 5 times higher in health care compared with the average worker.¹ With expensive inventories, easy access, and lack of security, community pharmacies have the potential to attract violence.

Image credit: © LIGHTFIELD STUDIOS | stock.adobe.com

Researchers from Switzerland uncovered similar results in European community pharmacies. Among 24 pharmacies, 80% of staff reported verbal violence and more than 20% of staff reported physical or sexual violence in the previous 12 months of work. Additionally, 26% of staff reported experiencing a robbery during their career. Across each country studied, differences in rates of verbal, physical, and sexual violence were statistically insignificant. These data indicate a normalization of violence toward community pharmacy staff.²

Investigators also discovered that pharmacy patients perpetrate most cases of workplace violence. Workplace violence associated with work colleagues, other health care professionals, or other outside sources was rare. When patients are violent, pharmacists experience a moral and ethical dilemma for providing health care services. Reporting the violence is crucial for receiving support, but pharmacists are pledged to help patients in need.²

Investigators insist that pharmacy management and ownership must address this issue. In an already demanding environment, pharmacists and technicians require a support system for both daily struggles and violent incidents. Without support from employers, pharmacy staff motivation dwindles and burnout surges, causing health care service quality to dissipate.²

Organized support such as de-escalation education, communication training, and other implemented protocols can alleviate some challenges associated with workplace violence. Not only do protocols need to exist, but staff require education on how to use them. As the United States is experiencing similar trends, recognizing the problem and implementing proper protocols is required to impede the surge in health care violence.²

References

1. Workplace Violence in Healthcare, 2018 and 2020. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed July 5, 2024. https://www.bls.gov/iif/factsheets/workplace-violence-healthcare-2018.htm#:~:text=The%20health%20care%20and%20social,workers%20has%20increased%20since%202011.

2. Popčević M, Javorina T, Košiček M, Meštrović A. Exposure of Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians to Violence in Community Pharmacies in Southeast Europe: Frequency and Ethical Considerations. June 4, 2024. Accessed July 4, 2024. doi:10.3390/pharmacy12030088