title: Community pharmacists' subjective workload and perceived task performance: a human factors approach.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To measure the association of three categories of community pharmacists' subjective workload with perceived performance in pharmacists' tasks.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional descriptive study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Wisconsin, September 2009.
  
  
  METHODS
  224 Wisconsin community pharmacists.
  
  
  METHODS
  Web-based or mailed survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  Self-reported workload in task-, job-, and organization-related categories and their association with perceived performance on completing a profile review, checking the accuracy of a prescription, and providing a patient consultation for a new medication.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Multivariate regression analysis showed that performing a profile review was positively associated with monitoring demands (reacting quickly to prevent problems) and significantly negatively associated with external task demands (interruptions, rushing). The task of verifying prescription accuracy was positively associated with monitoring demands and negatively associated with volume demands (having enough time to get work done). Patient consultation performance was positively associated with cognitive (using skills and knowledge) and monitoring demands and negatively associated with external demands.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings revealed the importance of measuring workload demands after separating the demands into categories and that different work demands are associated with performance of different tasks. As a result, no one solution will improve performance, and specific work environments must be considered when crafting solutions.
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 53705, USA. mchui@pharmacy.wisc.edu
authors.forename: Michelle A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Chui
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Mott
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003157:Community Pharmacy Services; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003625:Data Collection; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D024382:Professional Role / Q000523:psychology*; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D016526:Workload / Q000523:psychology*