Peer support as a potential tool to promote pharmacists' wellbeing.

Discussion regarding burnout in health professionals, including community pharmacists, has grown substantially since the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic. Rapid legislative and societal behavioural changes led to significant global disruption of physical and emotional wellbeing during the pandemic as pharmacists continued to provide care while under unprecedented levels of stress. Community pharmacists have had an essential role in maintaining face-to-face care as the number of COVID-19 diagnoses and deaths rose.

Coping mechanisms used by pharmacists to deal with stress, what is helpful and what is harmful?

Background: Australian pharmacists encountered increased stressors during the COVID-19 pandemic. This has raised questions regarding the effectiveness of the coping mechanisms used to manage this high work-related stress. Identifying useful and harmful coping mechanisms is critical for providing advice regarding addressing pharmacists' future work-related stress.

Bushfires, COVID-19 and Australian community pharmacists: ongoing impact on mental health and wellbeing.

Objectives: The nation was recovering from the aftermath of the catastrophic 2019-2020 bushfires when the first cases of the COVID-19 pandemic emerged in Australia. During the peak of the pandemic, Australia closed both its state and international borders to all travelers and interstate travel was very tightly regulated. Community pharmacists and pharmacy staff were one of the very few primary healthcare workers still serving their communities during these periods of strict lockdown.

National survey of pharmacists, intern pharmacists and pharmacy students in Australia: the nature and extent of stress and well-being.

Objectives: A national survey of the Australian pharmacy workforce was conducted to determine the extent to stress experienced, the extent to which it is work-related, how stress is managed, the barriers to getting help and how well prepared the workforce is for stressful situations. There were three objectives: provision of guidance on possible interventions; provision of a baseline for further studies; and provision of information to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Authority (AHPRA).

Methods: An online survey incorporating the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale was developed, piloted and launched in October 2016.