(246) Experiences and Barriers of Community Pharmacists Towards Participation in COVID-19 Vaccination Campaigns

Publication Number: 1291

Background: Effective vaccination plans were an integral part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic that should ensure vaccine coverage around the world. As the most accessible healthcare providers, pharmacists can act as patient educators and vaccine administrators to reduce vaccine hesitancy.

Objectives: To analyze the experiences and barriers of community pharmacists around the world towards participation in COVID-19 vaccination campaigns. In addition to the main purpose of the study, the pharmacists’ involvement in COVID-19 vaccine administration, supply and logistic process, and vaccine adverse event reporting, was investigated.

Methods: A systematic search of the electronic databases Medline, PubMed, Embase, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar was carried out for relevant papers published between January 2021–October 2021, reporting the experiences of the community
pharmacist in vaccination campaigns during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this narrative review, the following search terms were used: “pharmacist intervention”, “pharmaceutical care”, “pharmacy”, “community pharmacists”, “vaccination campaigns” “COVID-19 vaccines” and “barriers”. The inclusion criteria were full-text articles written in English.

Results: Pharmacists were engaged with information providing and patient counseling since the beginning of the pandemic. Pharmaceutical professional organizations around the world expressed the willingness and preparedness of pharmacists to be involved in COVID-19 vaccine campaigns. Pharmacists were involved in the organization and popularization of the vaccination process, they also were engaged in the distribution, storage, and preparation of vaccine doses. In many countries, pharmacists have a key role in the safety monitoring of vaccines. However, few countries (Italy, France, UK, USA, Canada, Australia, Brazil, etc.) have reported that pharmacists are allowed to administer vaccines in community pharmacy settings.
Some of the barriers to effective pharmacy-led vaccination campaigns include the legislative framework that does not allow pharmacists to administer vaccines independently, the lack of suitable training programs for pharmacists, the need for specific premises and equipment in the pharmacy to provide privacy for the patient, etc.

Conclusions: Our findings show that there are some legislative, socio-economic, pharmacist- and patient-related barriers regarding effective pharmacy-led COVID-19 vaccination campaigns. In some parts of the world, pharmacists are not being recognized as vaccinators by the community. However, some countries have reported positive experiences towards pharmacists’ involvement in COVID-19 vaccines administration, supply and logistic process, and adverse event reporting.