Helping Québec Pharmacists Seize the Vaccination Service Opportunity: The Pharmacy Best Practice Workshops

Abstract

Vaccinations are a safe and effective way to protect against infectious diseases. The World Health Organization estimates vaccines have saved more lives than any other interventions and every year about two to three million deaths are averted worldwide through immunization. To improve vaccination coverage, pharmacists have been increasingly involved in immunization roles in their communities—as advocates, educators, and immunizers. Community pharmacy-based vaccination services have increased both in the number of immunization providers and the number of sites where patients can receive immunizations. In Canada, health care is under provincial legislation—and so, there are distinct differences in scope of pharmacist practice across the country. Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak in early 2020, in Québec, Canada’s second-largest province, pharmacists did not have the authority to administer vaccines. To help prepare pharmacists in Québec to become immunizers, we developed and deployed a series of accredited workshops. In these facilitated workshops, pharmacists were able to share best practices that may lead to providing effective vaccination services, identify common competency gaps, discuss effective patient communication skills, and determine how to target the most vulnerable population groups. Participants were also asked to evaluate the workshop. Our results indicate the evaluation was very reliable in measuring participant satisfaction (Cronbach’s α = 0.94) and pharmacists commented that the workshops’ learning outcomes exceeded their expectations, and the topics covered were relevant and applicable. The evaluation also asked participants to identify weaknesses of training, so future educational interventions can be planned accordingly. We believe this work will contribute to the continual growth and advancement of the pharmacy profession in Canada.

Pharmacist's Perspectives on Administering a COVID-19 Vaccine in Community Pharmacies in Four Balkan Countries

“…This can increase access to vaccines that are medically suggested ( 18 ). Pharmacists are also able to combat misinformation, clearly communicate, and assess patient understanding ( 19 ), therefore decreasing vaccine hesitancy through persistent education ( 4 ) as human skepticism, and hesitancy regarding this unique health intervention deters immunization campaigns ( 20 ).…”

“…For example, in the United States, pharmacists are trained to administer the vaccines approved by Food and Drug Administration (FDA), based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines ( 5 ), and they have already improved influenza vaccination rates ( 2 , 4 , 10 ). Accredited workshops regarding best practices in pharmacy-based immunization services were organized in Quebec (Canada) for pharmacists and proved effective in encouraging vaccination and in improving their competencies ( 20 ).…”

Challenges and opportunities of clinical pharmacists during COVID-19: A review of the literature

“…Furthermore, with the evolvement of COVID-19 vaccines, pharmacists played a vital role in the vaccination campaigns. Those who were certified immunizers trained their fellow pharmacists and pharmacy trainees on the proper administration techniques, post-vaccination counseling, monitoring, and reporting of adverse reactions, as well as management of severe allergic reactions (Andrade et al, 2021;Jordan et al, 2021;Merks et al, 2021;Patel et al, 2021;Srirangan et al, 2021).…”

Development and Implementation of Workshops to Optimize the Delivery of Vaccination Services in Community Pharmacies: Thinking beyond COVID-19

“…To address these needs and concerns, in our previous study, we conducted a series of accredited workshops focused on facilitating discussions about the perceived challenges in establishing a pharmacy-led vaccination clinic and optimizing their current vaccination services. These workshops were particularly relevant as nurses had previously led the vaccination services [ 31 ]. By engaging in active peer-to-peer discussions, pharmacists had the opportunity to exchange valuable insights regarding best practices for delivering effective vaccination services.…”