Vaccinations Administered During Off-Clinic Hours at a National Community Pharmacy: Implications for Increasing Patient Access and Convenience

Jeffery A. Goad; Michael S. Taitel; Leonard E. Fensterheim; Adam E. Cannon

doi:10.1370/afm.1542

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Re: Vaccinations Administered During Off-Clinic Hours at a National Community Pharmacy: Implications for Increasing Patient Access and Convenience. Goad JA, Taitel MS, Fensterheim LE, Cannon AE
Anne L Hinchliffe

Published on: 23 September 2013

Published on: (23 September 2013)
Page navigation anchor for Re: Vaccinations Administered During Off-Clinic Hours at a National Community Pharmacy: Implications for Increasing Patient Access and Convenience. Goad JA, Taitel MS, Fensterheim LE, Cannon AE
Re: Vaccinations Administered During Off-Clinic Hours at a National Community Pharmacy: Implications for Increasing Patient Access and Convenience. Goad JA, Taitel MS, Fensterheim LE, Cannon AE
Anne L Hinchliffe, Consultant in Pharmaceutical Public Health
Other Contributors:
Goad et al. highlight the significant contribution community pharmacy can make in supporting uptake of vaccination. Below, we report findings from an evaluation of the introduction of National Health Service (NHS) funded seasonal influenza vaccination at community pharmacies in Wales during the 2012-13 flu season1. Despite the different healthcare systems operating in the UK and USA our findings resonate with those of G...
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Goad et al. highlight the significant contribution community pharmacy can make in supporting uptake of vaccination. Below, we report findings from an evaluation of the introduction of National Health Service (NHS) funded seasonal influenza vaccination at community pharmacies in Wales during the 2012-13 flu season1. Despite the different healthcare systems operating in the UK and USA our findings resonate with those of Goad and suggest that the convenience afforded by community pharmacy can facilitate increased vaccination uptake and this may be most marked in younger men.
In Wales, the NHS offers free seasonal influenza vaccination to groups within the population considered at higher risk from infection2. Whilst uptake has been increasing over recent years, achieving the Welsh Government's target of 75% remains a challenge for Health Boards2. In 2012 the Welsh Government instructed Health Boards to enter into arrangements with community pharmacy contractors to administer influenza vaccination in addition to pre-existing NHS influenza vaccination services.
Between 1 October 2012 and 31 January 2013, 1,537 patients received a free NHS influenza vaccination at 81 pharmacies in Wales. Before leaving the pharmacy patients were invited to complete an anonymous questionnaire asking whether they had a vaccination last year, whether they would have had a vaccine had the service not been available and why they chose to use the pharmacy.
Three-quarters patients returned a questionnaire (74.9%, n=1151). Almost a third of patients (30.8%, 350/1136) had not been vaccinated in the previous year, with the proportions of people aged under 65 years, and 65 and over, 37.1% (284/765) and 16.7% (56/336) respectively (difference = 20.5%, 95% CI 15.2% - 25.7% p <0.001). In response to the question "If you had not had a flu jab at the pharmacy today would you have been vaccinated?", 26.7% of under 65s (193/723) and 15.6% of over 65s (51/327) (difference = 11.1%, 95% CI 6.0% - 16.2% p <0.001), and 26.7% of men (115/430) and 20.0% of women (116/581) (difference = 6.8%, 95% CI 1.48% - 12.1% p = 0.01) indicated that they would not have been vaccinated. The most frequent reason for choosing to be vaccinated in the pharmacy, cited by more than half the respondents (n=625, 54.3%) was the convenient location, followed by not needing an appointment (n=589, 51.2%). Other prominent reasons included opening hours (n=488, 42.4%) and being in the pharmacy for another reason (n=445, 38.7%).
References
1. Evans A, Hinchliffe A, Jenkins N. Can providing NHS flu vaccination in community pharmacies reach people who otherwise would not get vaccinated? Experiences from the national community pharmacy seasonal influenza service in Wales International Journal of Pharmacy Practice 2013; 21 (S2): 120-1
2. Welsh Government. 2013-14 seasonal flu vaccination programme CMO (2013) 16. Cardiff: WG; 2013
Anne Hinchliffe Consultant in Pharmaceutical Public Health Public Health Wales Cardiff, UK
Andrew Evans Principal Pharmacist in Public Health Public Health Wales Cardiff, UK
Competing interests: ?? None declared
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Competing Interests: None declared.