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Background <p>Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is essential for all individuals, particularly those involved in patient care. Healthcare providers, especially community pharmacists, have been at the forefront during emergencies. The COVID-19 pandemic substantially affected healthcare professionals’ HRQoL due to increased workloads, emotional strain, and physical and psychosocial challenges while delivering essential services. Although the pandemic has subsided, these challenges persist globally. Therefore, this study assessed fatigue severity, daytime sleepiness, and HRQoL among Malaysian community pharmacists to evaluate their physical, mental, and social well-being.</p> Methods <p>A nationwide, prospective, cross-sectional study was conducted among 209 community pharmacists across Malaysia, using the RAND Short Form-36 questionnaire for HRQoL assessment, the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) to evaluate fatigue, and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) to assess daytime sleepiness. A structured, validated questionnaire consisting of 64 questions was used, and data were collected through convenience and snowball sampling methods.</p> Results <p>Of the 209 pharmacists who participated, 46% were aged between 31 and 40 years, and 88% were female. Regarding HRQoL, 33.4% rated their health as “excellent” and 37.8% as “very good,” while 20.1% reported their health had worsened compared to the previous year. A significant portion of participants (36.8%) reported limitations in physical activity, and half of them reduced their work hours. Emotional health issues affected 52.6% of participants’ performance, and 35.9% experienced health-related interference with social activities. Additionally, 67.5% reported severe fatigue, and 67.9% showed excessive daytime sleepiness.</p> Conclusion <p>Malaysian community pharmacists are significantly impacted by fatigue, emotional exhaustion, daytime sleepiness, and physical strain. These challenges affect their overall well-being and productivity. The results underscore the urgent need for targeted interventions on staffing, workload distribution, working hours, and adequate breaks to improve working conditions and support systems for pharmacists, aiming to enhance both their personal health and the quality of healthcare services they provide.</p>

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The severity of fatigue, daytime sleepiness, and health-related quality of life, and their impact among community pharmacists in Malaysia

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月28日

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  • Rajkannah Poongan,
  • Pravinkumar Vishwanath Ingle,
  • Priya Manirajan,
  • Shazia Jamshed,
  • Palanisamy Sivanandy

摘要

Background

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is essential for all individuals, particularly those involved in patient care. Healthcare providers, especially community pharmacists, have been at the forefront during emergencies. The COVID-19 pandemic substantially affected healthcare professionals’ HRQoL due to increased workloads, emotional strain, and physical and psychosocial challenges while delivering essential services. Although the pandemic has subsided, these challenges persist globally. Therefore, this study assessed fatigue severity, daytime sleepiness, and HRQoL among Malaysian community pharmacists to evaluate their physical, mental, and social well-being.

Methods

A nationwide, prospective, cross-sectional study was conducted among 209 community pharmacists across Malaysia, using the RAND Short Form-36 questionnaire for HRQoL assessment, the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) to evaluate fatigue, and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) to assess daytime sleepiness. A structured, validated questionnaire consisting of 64 questions was used, and data were collected through convenience and snowball sampling methods.

Results

Of the 209 pharmacists who participated, 46% were aged between 31 and 40 years, and 88% were female. Regarding HRQoL, 33.4% rated their health as “excellent” and 37.8% as “very good,” while 20.1% reported their health had worsened compared to the previous year. A significant portion of participants (36.8%) reported limitations in physical activity, and half of them reduced their work hours. Emotional health issues affected 52.6% of participants’ performance, and 35.9% experienced health-related interference with social activities. Additionally, 67.5% reported severe fatigue, and 67.9% showed excessive daytime sleepiness.

Conclusion

Malaysian community pharmacists are significantly impacted by fatigue, emotional exhaustion, daytime sleepiness, and physical strain. These challenges affect their overall well-being and productivity. The results underscore the urgent need for targeted interventions on staffing, workload distribution, working hours, and adequate breaks to improve working conditions and support systems for pharmacists, aiming to enhance both their personal health and the quality of healthcare services they provide.