A study on the allocation of working hours of pharmaceutical personnel in public service pharmacies
- VernacularTitle:Нийтийн үйлчилгээтэй эмийн сангийн эмийн мэргэжилтний ажлын цагийн зарцуулалтыг судлах нь
- Author:
Oyungerel Byambasuren
1
;
Byambasuren Gerelt-Оd
1
;
Ulambayar Lkhamsuren
1
Author Information
1. Department of Pharmaceutical Management and Organization, Mongolian University of Pharmaceutical Sciences
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Pharmacist;
Prescription Dispenser;
Time Utilization
- From:
Mongolian Pharmacy and Pharmacology
2025;27(2):38-43
- CountryMongolia
- Language:Mongolian
-
Abstract:
Introduction:The pharmaceutical supply sector is one of the essential components of healthcare services.
Numerous international studies have noted that healthcare professionals receive relatively low salaries
compared to the amount of time and effort they dedicate to their work. This discrepancy has led to a growing trend of professionals shifting to other sectors. A major focus of healthcare reforms has been on improving work time allocation, performance evaluation, and increasing institutional efficiency. A heavy workload among pharmacy professionals can negatively affect job performance, service quality, and safety. Although current legal frameworks provide additional compensation for professional qualifications and working under hazardous conditions, studies have shown that they do not sufficiently evaluate actual work performance, time spent on tasks, knowledge, or experience. While several international research efforts have explored methods to improve pharmacy professionals’ time management, there is a lack of such studies in Mongolia. This gap has provided the basis for conducting a study on work time utilization among pharmacy professionals working in public service pharmacies in Ulaanbaatar.
Methods:This study covered 343 pharmacy professionals working in public service pharmacies across six
districts of Ulaanbaatar city. A survey method was employed, and data collection was conducted between
December 1, 2024, and February 12, 2025. Data were entered using Microsoft Excel and analyzed using
SPSS version 25.
Results:When comparing the daily working hours of pharmacy professionals by pharmacy classification,
no statistically significant difference was observed between first and second class pharmacies in terms of
time spent on core duties, preparatory tasks, or break and leisure time. Thursday was identified as the
busiest day of the week, with 90.6% client engagement. Certain key responsibilities performed by pharmacy professionals such as dispensing prescription and non-prescription medicines, cleaning, and operating sterilization equipment were not included in the official job descriptions, indicating the need to revise and improve the standard job description templates.
Conclusion:According to our study, prescription pharmacists in community pharmacies spend 60.3% of their
working hours on core tasks, 47.1% on preparatory tasks, and 6.1% on rest or free time. The findings indicate that pharmacists mainly focus on core duties, while some responsibilities specified in the job description are not being carried out, highlighting the need to update the standard job description.
- Full text:2026080122032865621MPPJ-2025-27(2)-38-43.pdf
