Page 42 - rp-may-2020

MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT FOR PHARMACY
DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Shannon Kerr MBA
As a marketer and project manager with more than 20 years’ experience, Shannon has focused on the community-pharmacy space for the past
10 years. Shannon’s experience encompasses branding, digital marketing, loyalty programs, above the line and retail marketing. Her project skills
enable a coherent and integrated message across all elements of pharmacy marketing.
Shannon Kerr works at instigo. For the purposes of full disclosure, instigo has a commercial relationship with the Pharmacy Guild of Australia to deliver the
Health Advice Plus program into community pharmacy. Instigo also provides a range of business services to API including some marketing services, professional services
coaching for Soul Pattinson and Pharmacist Advice stores and outsourced merchandising resources for Soul Pattinson, Pharmacist Advice and Club Premium.
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CPD CREDIT
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
After completing this CPD activity,
pharmacists should be able to:
• Outline the symptoms and
consequences of stress in
the workplace.
• Describe how to manage stress in
the workplace.
• Describe the concept of self-care.
2016 Competency Standards:
1.1, 1.5, 1.6,
2.1, 2.3, 2.4, 3.6, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6.
CPD Accreditation Number:
A2005RP5 (exp: 30/04/2022).
Advice on supporting yourself
and your team’s mental health
and wellbeing
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic there
is significant anxiety and worry in the
community around the virus and how the
community should respond, as well as
conflicting recommendations in the media.
This ‘unknown’ puts a substantial amount
of pressure on pharmacy staff who are
on the frontline. This CPD activity aims to
assist pharmacists to support their teams
during these unprecedented times, with
a focus on managing stress and staying
mentally healthy. Please conduct your
own research but treat the information
in this document (current as at April 6,
2020) as a starting point.
Disclaimer
While this document is put together with the
best of intentions and efforts for pharmacists,
it is not to be considered as medical or
professional advice. Readers are required
to follow up with their own investigations
to confirm the accuracy of any information
provided in this document. No responsibility is
accepted for any inaccuracies, nor any outcomes
that are associated with any actions taken as a
result of reading this document.
Workplace stress
Stress can affect everyone. However, many
people experience a range of mental and
physical symptoms .
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Body.
The symptoms of stress and
changes affecting the body include:
• Headaches.
• Other aches and pains.
• Sleep disturbance.
• Fatigue.
• Upset stomach, diarrhoea.
• High blood pressure.
• Weakened immune system.
• Muscle tension.
• Change in sex drive (male or female).
Mind.
The symptoms of stress affecting
mind, thoughts and feelings include:
• Anxiety, worry.
• Anger, irritability.
• Depression or sadness.
• Feeling overwhelmed and out of control.
• Feeling restless.
• Feeling moody, tearful.
• Difficulty concentrating.
• Low self-esteem, lack of confidence.
Behaviour.
The symptoms of stress
affecting behaviour include:
• Overeating or undereating.
• Outbursts of anger.
• Relationship problems.
• Alcohol, smoking or drug abuse.
• Avoiding people.
The community pharmacy landscape
is changing rapidly. It’s important that
pharmacy teams can perform and keep
up. Ensuring optimal performance during
times of rapid change is difficult under
normal circumstances. With the additional
stress due to COVID-19, performance could
be significantly impacted if stress levels
aren’t managed.
Workplace stress can cause
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• Reduced productivity.
• Decline in job satisfaction.
• Increased absences.
• Decreased turnover.
• Increased accidents and injuries.
Professional burnout
Australia is potentially at the tip of
the iceberg regarding the COVID-19
pandemic. Although vaccines and medical
treatments are being developed and
trialled, realistically we could still be taking
measures to manage the disease in six
to 12 months’ time. By not recognising
and managing stress now, we could see
a significant increase in professional
burnout during that time. Burnout was
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incorporated into the 11th revision of the
International Classification of Diseases
(ICD-11) as an occupational phenomenon,
although it’s not classified as a medical
condition. Burnout is defined in ICD-11 as
“a syndrome conceptualised as resulting
from chronic workplace stress that has
not been successfully managed. It is
characterised by three dimensions:
• Feelings of energy depletion
or exhaustion.
• Increased mental distance from one’s
job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism
related to one’s job.
• Reduced professional efficacy.”
Managing stress
Managing stress is everyone’s business.
It’s not just up to the person in question
experiencing stress. It’s important to
remember that managers and the
proprietor are obliged to ensure their
pharmacy is supportive of employees’
mental health. It’s also the responsibility
of individuals to speak up when the
workplace is causing them stress, so
they can be assisted (Pharmacy Guild of
Krysti-Lee Rigby B.Pharm MPS GradCertAppPharmPrac
Experienced in delivering high quality professional services, with proven success in developing innovative patient funded services, Krysti-Lee’s
passion lies within the community pharmacy. She is skilled in change management, policy review/development and strategic planning, resulting
in a number of leadership and advisory roles across the pharmacy sector. Krysti-Lee currently holds the position of Vice President of the
Pharmaceutical Society of Australia’s NSW Branch.
CPD ACTIVITY 40
RET AIL PHARMA C Y • MA Y 2020