J Am Pharm Assoc (2003). 2024 Jan-Feb;64(1):79-87. doi: 10.1016/j.japh.2023.10.016. Epub 2023 Oct 19.
Pharmacy-based immunization services have expanded since the mid-1990s but still face multiple challenges. Amendments to the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act broadened patient-care scope and the pool of eligible pharmacy personnel who could administer vaccinations. The expiration of these amendments in 2024 may threaten recent gains in vaccine and other health care access newly available through pharmacies.
This study aimed to elicit community chain pharmacists' perspectives on immunization time demands, corporate guidance, data flow and information technology, workflow and workforce issues, and other newly provided services.
A survey questionnaire was developed, pretested, and electronically administered in mid-2022 to a randomly sampled national database of pharmacists maintained by the American Pharmacists Association. Descriptive analyses of survey responses were performed and findings used to identify salient themes.
The survey collected 742 responses from a sample of 7845 community chain pharmacists (9.5% response rate). During the 2021-2022 influenza season, pharmacies administered on average 114 vaccinations daily (range 3-1000), mostly by appointment (51%). Pharmacists expressed somewhat greater preference for administering vaccinations (39%) than dispensing prescriptions (36%), and most (92%) considered it at least as important as other practice responsibilities. However, only 27% of pharmacists had adequate staff support and 67% spent more time addressing patients' vaccination confidence issues than before the pandemic. Most respondents (67%) had access to their patient's vaccination status, but only 51% said their company's computer system gave easy access. Only 49% considered corporate immunization feedback effective at enhancing their practice. Provision of nonvaccine services has expanded.
Frontline community chain pharmacists reportedly preferred administering vaccinations over dispensing prescriptions. The pandemic resulted in an increased responsibility among pharmacists as immunizers. Notwithstanding recent progress, pharmacists continue to face staffing, corporate guidance and feedback, information management, and other structural and process barriers to optimally provide comprehensive immunization services. Survey findings support making permanent and expanding the emergency authorities that pharmacists gained under the PREP Act.
自 20 世纪 90 年代中期以来，基于药店的免疫服务有所扩大，但仍面临多重挑战。《公共卫生应急准备和预防法案》（PREP 法案）的修正案扩大了患者护理范围和有资格接种疫苗的合格药剂师人员库。这些修正案将于 2024 年到期，可能会威胁到最近通过药店获得的疫苗和其他医疗保健服务的进展。
本研究旨在了解社区连锁药剂师对免疫时间需求、公司指导、数据流和信息技术、工作流程和劳动力问题以及其他新提供的服务的看法。
于 2022 年年中，由美国药剂师协会维护的全国连锁药剂师随机抽样数据库，以电子方式向药剂师分发调查问卷。对调查结果进行描述性分析，并根据分析结果确定突出主题。
调查从社区连锁药剂师的样本中收集了 742 份回复（9.5%的回复率）。在 2021-2022 年流感季节，药店平均每天接种 114 剂疫苗（范围 3-1000 剂），主要通过预约（51%）。药剂师表示，他们更喜欢接种疫苗（39%）而不是配药（36%），大多数（92%）认为这至少与其他实践职责同等重要。然而，只有 27%的药剂师有足够的员工支持，67%的药剂师花在解决患者疫苗接种信心问题上的时间比大流行前更多。大多数受访者（67%）可以访问患者的疫苗接种状况，但只有 51%的人表示他们公司的计算机系统可以方便地访问。只有 49%的人认为公司的免疫反馈能有效提高他们的实践水平。非疫苗服务的提供有所扩大。
据报道，一线社区连锁药剂师更喜欢接种疫苗而不是配药。大流行导致药剂师作为免疫人员的责任增加。尽管最近取得了进展，但药剂师仍然面临人员配备、公司指导和反馈、信息管理以及其他结构和流程障碍，以优化提供全面免疫服务。调查结果支持永久扩大药剂师根据 PREP 法案获得的紧急权力。
