Cross-sectional survey investigates the link between assertiveness and stress in community pharmacists, suggesting training may be beneficial.
Key Points
This study aims to explore the levels of stress related to deprescribing among community pharmacists and how it correlates with their assertiveness levels.
Conducted a cross-sectional survey among community pharmacists in Japan from May to October 2022.
Measured stress related to deprescribing using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS).
Assessed assertiveness with the Functional Assertiveness Scale (FAS).
Performed univariate and multivariate analyses to compare characteristics and examine associations.
Included 415 pharmacists in the final analysis.
40.2% of pharmacists were classified into the high-stress group based on VAS scores.
Higher functional assertiveness was significantly associated with lower stress, with an odds ratio of 2.62.
The study suggests that improving assertiveness among pharmacists may help reduce stress in deprescribing situations.