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

The Article in Brief

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

Leonard E. Fensterheim , and colleagues

Background An esimtated 50,000 adults die annually from vaccine-preventable diseases in the United States, and adult vaccination rates are below national goals. Although most clinicians offer vaccinations during traditional clinic hours (9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday), community pharmacies often offer expanded hours that allow patients to receive vaccinations at more convenient times. This study analyzes the types of vaccines administered and patient populations receiving vaccinations during off-clinic hours in a national community pharmacy and the implications on vaccination access and convenience.

What This Study Found Analyzing data on 6,250,402 vaccines administered at more than 7,500 Walgreens pharmacies across the United States during a year, researchers found 31 percent were provided during off-clinic hours: 17 percent were provided on weekends, 10 percent on weekday evenings, and 3 percent on federal holidays. Younger, working-aged, healthy adults, in particular, were more likely to obtain a variety of vaccinations during off-clinic hours. Specifically, patients had significantly higher odds of off-clinic vaccination if they were younger than 65 years of age, male, resided in an urban area, and did not have any chronic conditions.

Implications

• Allowing patients to seek and receive vaccinations at times that are most convenient to them, often when medical offices are closed, could increase immunization rates in the United States.
• The authors call for expanding the ability of pharmacists to administer all vaccines in all states by standing orders coupled with expanded hours of operation.