Comparison of Attitudes of Wisconsin Health Care Providers and Pharmacists Toward Vaccine Administration and Perceived Barriers. WMJ 2020 Sep;119(3):151-157
Date
10/23/2020Pubmed ID
33091281Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85094160290 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 3 CitationsAbstract
OBJECTIVE: To measure the attitudes of pharmacists and other health care providers towards vaccine administration, overall acceptance of pharmacists as immunization providers, and perceived immunization barriers in Wisconsin.
METHODS: The authors conducted a cross-sectional study utilizing an online survey to assess the attitudes of pharmacists and other health care providers toward their role as immunization providers and perceived barriers to providing immunizations. The survey was distributed between November 2018 and February 2019.
RESULTS: Two hundred thirty-six pharmacists and 51 other health care providers completed the survey. Of the pharmacists who responded, 203 (86%) provided immunizations. Most respondents (97.9% of pharmacists and 90.2% of other health care providers) see vaccinations as a shared professional responsibility. Both pharmacists (82.6%) and other health care providers (79.6%) believe pharmacists have adequate training to administer vaccines to patients. Immunizing pharmacists identified 2 primary barriers to providing immunizations: patients refusing vaccines for financial reasons (55%) and patients not having insurance coverage for vaccines received in a pharmacy (55%). In contrast, the primary barrier identified by non-immunizing pharmacists is other responsibilities taking precedence over vaccinating (75%). Other health care providers identified determining whether their patients' insurance will reimburse for a vaccine (52%) as their primary barrier toward providing immunizations.
CONCLUSION: These surveys provide a baseline measure of the attitudes of Wisconsin pharmacists and other health care providers toward immunization provision and offer opportunities for comparison. Our findings highlight barriers, such as insurance coverage for immunizations, that may prevent pharmacists from increasing vaccination rates in Wisconsin.
Author List
MacKinnon GE 3rd, Pabian I, MacKinnon KJ, Sorum SE, Martin E, Bernstein RS, Rein LE, Schellhase KAuthors
George MacKinnon PhD Founding Dean, Professor in the School of Pharmacy Administration department at Medical College of WisconsinKaren J. MacKinnon RPh Director, Assistant Professor in the School of Pharmacy Administration department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Lisa E. Rein Biostatistician III in the Institute for Health and Equity department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Kenneth G. Schellhase MD, MPH Adjunct Professor in the Family Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin
MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AttitudeCross-Sectional Studies
Health Personnel
Humans
Pharmacists
Vaccination
Vaccines
Wisconsin
