Introduction: Pharmacists in the United States (U.S.) are authorized to administer vaccines. This study described: how and to what extent immunization services are offered, promoted, and documented in community pharmacies; reasons for referral to other locations for vaccination; and perceived barriers to immunization services.
Methods: A mixed-mode (mail/electronic) survey of a stratified random sample of 1999 nationally-representative community pharmacies in the U.S. was conducted in April-July 2017. Survey instrument development was informed by validated scales and 10 in-depth interviews with community pharmacists; content and face validity were ensured via pre- (n = 5) and pilot-tests (n = 26) among community pharmacists. Potential non-response bias was investigated and descriptive statistics were used to analyze survey responses.
Results: Of the 1999 community pharmacies, 119 pharmacies were deemed ineligible. Of those eligible pharmacies, complete responses were provided by 292 respondents, each representing a unique pharmacy (15.5% response rate). Respondents were evenly split male/female (52.5/47.5%) and about half were pharmacy managers (51.3%). The majority (79.5%) reported offering at least one type of vaccine in 2016, with the most commonly administered vaccine types (average doses in 2016) being: Influenza (484), Pneumococcal 13-valent conjugate (55), Herpes Zoster (41), and Pneumococcal polysaccharide (39). Two-thirds (66.7%) of immunizing pharmacies provided adolescent vaccinations. Most frequently reported referral reasons were patients' insurance not covering vaccine administration at the pharmacy and patients' age not within approved protocol, policy or state law. The majority of respondents did not perceive organizational and environmental factors as barriers; however, they reported patient-related factors, especially cost and insurance coverage, as important barriers.
Conclusions: The majority of U.S. community pharmacies reported offering at least one type of vaccine. The scope of pharmacy engagement in immunization services varied in terms of how and to what extent they were offered and documented. Addressing patient-related barriers is needed to further enhance pharmacy-based immunization services.
Keywords: Community pharmacy; Immunization; Pharmacist; Vaccine.
Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.