Exposure of Professional Pharmacists to Workplace Stress Factors in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Vedada Celjo1, Nermina Crnkic1
1 Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Clinical Centre University of Sarajevo, Bolnička 25, 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Corresponding Author: Vedada Celjo, MPh. Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Clinical Centre University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina; E-mail: vedada.celjo@kcus.ba Phone: +387 33 297-000; ORCID ID: 0009-0005-4699-1502
Cite this article: Celjo V, Crnkic N. Exposure of Professional Pharmacists to Workplace Stress Factors in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Sar Med J. 2025; 2(1):26-31: Online ahead of print. 
10.70119/0032-25
Pages: 26 – 31/ Published online: 20 June 2025
Original submission: 10 February 2025; Revised submission: 10 April 2025; Accepted: 25 May 20 25
Abstract
Introduction. The term ‘stress’ represents experiences in which the demands of the envi-ronment outweigh an individual’s perceived psychological and physiological ability to deal with them eff ectively. The aim of this study is to determine the level of stress to which a pharmacist is exposed to in their workplace, throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina. The main causes of stress in the workplaces of pharmacists were also investigated, as well as reactions to stress exposure.
Methods. The data were collected via an anonymous survey of 191 pharmacists across the co-untry, over a period of two months. A previously modifi ed and validated scale (of the Likert type) measured each of the variables.
Results. Respondents rated their perception of stress with an average score of 3.15±1.13, which corresponds to a ‘very stressful’ rating. The biggest source of stress was rated to be ‘stress associated with unacceptable behavior in the workplace’. The lowest source of stress was deemed to be ‘stress associated with unsafe or poor conditions at work’. All physiological respon-ses to stress were rated by respondents as average (2.61±0.94). The overall rating of emotional responses to stress was prevalent (2.79±0.93). The overall score of behavioral change as a stress response corresponded to a score somewhere between what would be deemed as ‘small’ and what would be deemed as ‘pronounced’ (2.58±0.91).
Conclusion. This work may prompt further research towards creating a friendly and healthy working environment. This would improve the quality of services provided by pharmacists and raise current practice to an even higher level.
Keywords: work-related stress, pharmacist, pharmacy profession.
