1 in 2 pharmacy professionals have experienced harassment, finds report
The Pharmacy Association of Nova Scotia (PANS) has launched a campaign aimed at battling the harassment of pharmacy professionals in the province.
Under its KindRx campaign, PANS has developed a Patient Code of Conduct as posters and stickers to remind patients that “kindness is contagious”.
The associations sent the materials to pharmacies across the province in April.
“This campaign will help pharmacy teams manage negative conduct. When pharmacies display the Patient Code of Conduct, highlighting prohibited behaviours and a zero-tolerance policy for bullying and aggression, they are taking a united stand,” said Rose Dipchand, senior director of pharmacy and professional affairs at Pharmasave East.
Harassment at pharmacies
The campaign is PANS’s response to reports from pharmacy professionals indicating that they have been harassed at work.
Over 50% of the pharmacy professionals polled indicated they have experienced harassment at work over the past year. And almost all of the reported harassment came from patients, according to PANS’s survey of 700 respondents.
“This is unacceptable,” said Allison Bodnar, CEO of PANS.
“This behaviour is having a negative effect on the profession and the mental wellness of our pharmacy teams. While we know we are not alone – other healthcare providers have shared similar experiences – we need to take a stand against this behaviour.”
Bodnar said these experiences are happening to burnt-out staff, which has led to increasing rates of disability and sick leave and in turn, staffing shortages.
"It's a bit terrifying and we're seeing this across health care too. We're having people just tired and leaving the profession. They aren't finding joy, they don't feel safe, and they just said enough is enough,” she said in a CBC report.
In the same report, Graham MacKenzie, who has been a pharmacist for 31 years, said it's hard to imagine a pharmacist who, within a year's time frame, hasn't had a difficult experience with a patient.
"Sometimes it's a level that you can kind of de-escalate on your own," MacKenzie said. "I have called the police when it got to the point that I knew that we were not going to be handling it on our own."
Ontario and Alberta have announced plans to expand the scope of work of pharmacists. Meanwhile, British Columbia and Manitoba have amped up security in hospitals to keep healthcare workers safe.
The Patient Code of Conduct for pharmacy and other resources are available right here.
