Prevalence and risk factors of burnout among community pharmacists in Saudi Arabia

A cross-sectional study

Bibliographic Data

ID22080705
AuthorsAbdulrahman M Hijri (King Abdulaziz Medical City, corresponding author), Fahad Alzahrani (0000-0002-4270-8598, Taibah University), Osama A Madkhali (0000-0001-5139-8408, Jazan University), Majid Ali (0000-0002-3690-2183, Sulaiman Al Rajhi Colleges, corresponding author), Mazen A Alaqil (Jazan University), Riyadh M Salami (0000-0002-3622-6007, Prince Sultan University), Yaseen A Madkhali (Jazan University), Abdulrahman A Almalki (Dar Al Uloom University), Emad H Hassany (Jazan University), Asma M Ahmed (Armed Forces Hospital), Khalid H Khubrani (King Abdulaziz Medical City), Nasser M Alsubaie, N Al-Subaie (King Abdulaziz Medical City), Aseel A Alsraeya (Armed Forces Hospital)
Year2025
Volume13
Pages1706598-1706598
Publication date2025-12-12
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueFrontiers in Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2296-2565 • E-ISSN: 2296-2565
PublisherFrontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3389/fpubh.2025.1706598
PMID41458409
OpenAlexW4417263169
LanguageEN
References cited40

Background Burnout among healthcare professionals impacts patient care quality and healthcare systems. While extensively studied across various healthcare sectors, burnout among community pharmacists in Saudi Arabia remains underexplored despite their expanding roles in healthcare delivery. Methods This cross-sectional study utilized an online survey with the validated Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) to assess burnout across three dimensions among community pharmacists in Saudi Arabia from December 2024 to March 2025. Multiple regression analysis identified factors associated with burnout. Results Among 408 community pharmacists (mean age 28.07 ± 3.75 years, 72.8% male), high levels of burnout were prevalent: 65.9% exhibited high emotional exhaustion (EE) (mean 35.50 ± 14.40), 64.5% showed high depersonalization (DP) (mean 14.66 ± 8.26), and 66.2% demonstrated low personal accomplishment (mean 29.34 ± 11.16). Sales pressure frequency was the strongest predictor of EE ( β = 0.312, p < 0.001) and a significant predictor of DP ( β = 0.218, p < 0.001). Saudi nationality was strongly associated with both EE ( β = 0.267, p < 0.001) and DP ( β = 0.298, p < 0.001). Years of experience showed protective effects against burnout dimensions. Pharmacists experiencing constant sales pressure had 4.23 times higher odds of high EE (95% CI: 2.18–8.21, p < 0.001). Conclusion Community pharmacists in Saudi Arabia experience alarmingly high burnout levels, particularly among Saudi nationals, those facing constant sales pressure, practitioners with less experience, and those managing high patient volumes. These findings highlight the urgent need for workplace interventions, policy changes, and support systems focusing on reducing commercial pressures, optimizing workload distribution, and providing targeted support for vulnerable subgroups

Burnout · Community health · Health care · Social support · Workload · Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnout · Nursing education and management · Pharmaceutical Practices and Patient Outcomes