This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
In-pharmacy availability of influenza vaccines increases uptake
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Canadians living in provinces where pharmacists may administer influenza vaccines are more likely to report annual immunization than residents in areas with administration limited to health care providers, according to data recently published in CMAJ.
“Influenza vaccines are primarily administered by nurses and physicians in Canada, but several provinces have recently implemented policies permitting administration by pharmacists,” Jeffrey C. Kwong, MD, MSc, assistant professor at the University of Toronto and scientist at Public Health Ontario, and colleagues wrote. “Community pharmacists who have been authorized to administer influenza vaccines could help to overcome issues with accessibility given their ubiquitous distribution, extended working hours, walk-in policies and availability to people without a primary care provider.”
Previous studies conducted in the United States and Japan indicate that widespread provision of influenza vaccination by pharmacists improves community coverage, the researchers wrote. To verify whether this effect would be applicable in Canada, they reviewed 2007-2014 data from the cross-sectional Canadian Community Health Survey. The researchers compared immunization rates among the respondents living in provinces permitting pharmacist vaccination with those reported within provinces with limited access, and conducted weighted, modified Poisson regression analysis to identify any associations between the two variables.
Nearly 30% of the 481,526 respondents included in the analysis reported seasonal influenza vaccination in the 12 months before the survey, although this proportion generally decreased over the study period (P < .001). After adjustment, vaccination rates remained higher in provinces with a pharmacist policy than in those that did not (adjusted prevalence ratio = 1.05; 95% CI, 1.02-1.08). Vaccine uptake was greater among respondents who were female, living in urban areas, better educated, had a regular physician, had chronic conditions and were aged 50 years or older. The researchers, however, saw no significant interactions between any such factors and pharmacist administration.
“Future work to characterize the populations that access this service will aid evaluation efforts and inform decision-making in other jurisdictions that are considering expanding the scope of pharmacist practice to include delivery of vaccines and other services,” the researchers wrote. “Ongoing efforts will be needed to evaluate the longer-term impact of pharmacist policies.”
Disclosure: Kwong reports no relevant financial disclosures. Please see the full study for a list of all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts