Introduction: Pharmacy technicians undertake a variety of tasks related to the dispensing of medicinal products under the supervision of pharmacists or other healthcare professionals.
Aim: Analysis of psychosocial factors among pharmacy technicians working in community and hospital pharmacies as determinants of stress, emotional exhaustion, and psychosomatic complaints.
Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study among 208 pharmacy technicians was conducted using an anonymous questionnaire based on the short form of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire, supplemented with items on demographic characteristics, working conditions, and health-related complaints.
Results: Most hospital pharmacy technicians worked day shifts, whereas those in community pharmacies more often worked morning/afternoon shifts and over 40% exceeded 40 working hours per week. Overall, pharmacy technicians reported high job satisfaction, perceived their work as meaningful, and rated opportunities for professional development positively, along with adequate information and supervisory support. High emotional demands from clients and moderate emotional exhaustion and stress were observed, with significantly higher levels among community pharmacy technicians. Most respondents rated their health as good or very good; psychosomatic complaints were comparable to other occupational groups, most commonly fatigue, anxiety, and musculoskeletal pain. Emotional exhaustion was a significant determinant of psychosomatic symptoms and was influenced by stress, work-family conflict, workload, opportunities for professional development, and job satisfaction.
Conclusion: Stress is associated with emotional exhaustion, which is directly related to an increased prevalence of psychosomatic complaints, thereby underscoring the need for targeted organizational and psychosocial interventions aimed at protecting the health of pharmacy technicians and enhancing their work ability.
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