Occupational Problems of Public Hospital Pharmacists

Abstract

With technological and scientific advances, pharmaceutical applications evolved from medicine-centered to patientcentered position, changes in pharmacist's roles have realized. In this research, it is aimed to determine duties, powers and responsibilities, opinions about patient-oriented pharmaceutical applications, working environment and workload perceptions, job satisfaction and expectations from trade body, of pharmacists in public hospital, İzmir

This research is cross-sectional and descriptive. Survey prepared after literature review, was applied voluntarily to hospital pharmacists in inpatient treatment institutions in central district of İzmir in 2012, answered with self-report by 63 pharmacists. Data were evaluated by frequency, percentage distributions and chi-square test in 95% confidence interval using SPSS18 software package.

Of pharmacists, it was determined that 61.9% are working average 8 hours daily, 60.3% deal with routine works, mainly drug distribution (76.2%), inventory control (77.8%), and 55,5% strenuous works. It was determined that 28,6% aren't satisfied from their profession; male pharmacists' job satisfaction is more than the female pharmacists(x²=6.168,p=0.034). Desire of pharmacists in 20-39 age to perform clinical pharmacy roles instead of traditional pharmacy roles was found more than pharmacists in 40 and over age(x²=11.732,p=0.03). It was also determined that majority of pharmacists (93.6%) think trade body didn't show enough interest to hospital pharmacy's problems.

It is thought that making legal arrangements urgently for undergraduate education in clinical pharmacy applications allow to increase hospital pharmacists' roles in drugs' effective, safe and economic use and their job satisfaction; and the provision of employment by pharmacist criteria per number of beds in hospitals will be useful.