1 in 3 US Patients Has Received Pharmacist-Administered Vaccination

Nearly a third of people surveyed reported receiving vaccines from pharmacists, according to study findings published online ahead of print in the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association.

“The use of pharmacist-administered vaccination has been increasing over the past years,” researchers wrote. “The service has many advantages compared with other vaccination service providers and [is] associated with higher vaccination rates among people with older age, higher education, and a higher number of chronic diseases.”

To investigate the characteristics of people who received pharmacist-administered vaccinations, researchers analyzed data from 26,173 participants in a cross-sectional online survey. Respondents, who were mostly female and white, lived throughout the United States.

Some 31% of respondents indicated having received pharmacist-administered vaccination, according to the study.

Use of the service was significantly associated with respondent age, education, geographic region, previous use of other pharmacy services and products, number of chronic diseases, race, and proximity to pharmacy, as well as pharmacy type, analyses showed.

“With proper training and education,” researchers wrote, “pharmacists are unique in improving vaccination services and public health in general.”

Reference:
Rashrash M, Sawesi S, Schommer JC, Brown LM. Patient characteristics associated with the use of pharmacist-administered vaccination services and predictors of service utilization [published online ahead of print, 2021 May 29]. J Am Pharm Assoc (2003). 2021;S1544-3191(21)00196-5. doi:10.1016/j.japh.2021.05.014