The Role of Pharmacists in Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy and the Measles Outbreak

Community pharmacists as vaccinators in the SARS-CoV-2 immunization campaign: implications beyond the pandemic

Italy was one of the last European countries to introduce vaccination in pharmacies. The urgent need to extend the vaccination campaign against SARS-CoV-2 led to the approval of Law no. 178/2020. The Law allowed the administration of COVID-19 vaccines in Italian pharmacies by community pharmacists on an experimental basis for the years 2021-2022. Stakeholders took contrasting positions on the idea of enabling pharmacist to vaccinate after proper training. Sometimes, controversy existed even within the same associations representing pharmacists. As observed in other countries, the medical profession in Italy also expressed its opposition to the idea of pharmacists as vaccinators, while the general public and pharmacy customers were generally in favour of the policy. Over two million doses of SARS-CoV-vaccines were administered in Italian pharmacies in less than one year after the introduction of the policy. Criticism and concerns raised during the debate about the introduction of vaccination in pharmacies has subsided. It is yet unclear whether vaccination in pharmacies will be prolonged after the pandemic and whether it will, in fact, be expanded to other vaccines. Potentially, this could contribute towards increasing immunisation rates, not only for COVID-19, but also for other vaccines.

Knowledge of Community Pharmacists in Saudi Arabia Regarding Human Monkeypox, Its Management, Prevention, and Vaccination: Findings and Implications

Many cases of monkeypox have recently been reported in countries where this disease is not endemic, raising a global health concern. Consequently, healthcare professionals (HCPs), including pharmacists, need to be aware of the disease, its prevention, including the role of vaccines, and its management to reduce transmission. A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study was conducted among conveniently sampled community pharmacists in the Qassim region of Saudi Arabia. A total of 189 community pharmacists participated in the study, giving a response rate of 72.97%. From these, 86.77% were male, 51.32% were ≤30 years old, 36.51% were aged between 31-40 years, and 43.39% had 1-5 years of experience as community pharmacists. Their overall knowledge was 17.72 ± 5.56 out of a maximum of 28. The overall rate of correct answers for the knowledge statements was 63.29%, with 52.4% answering ≥50-<75% of the knowledge questions correctly and 31.2% answering ≥75% of the questions correctly. The knowledge subdomain related to diagnosis and clinical characteristics recorded the highest score, with the subdomain relating to causative pathogens and epidemiology recording a lower score. Overall, community pharmacists had moderate knowledge of monkeypox and its clinical management, prevention, and the role of vaccines, which is a concern for the future. Consequently, tailored, flexible, and timely educational interventions are needed to ensure that HCPs, including community pharmacists, are fully equipped with the latest evidence-based knowledge regarding this viral disease to reduce transmission and improve care.

Barriers to adult vaccination in Canada: A qualitative systematic review

Background:

In recent years, Canadian health care professionals have observed an increase in vaccine refusal. The objective of this study is to review published literature and identify the main themes related to vaccine hesitancy and barriers to vaccination in Canadian adults and recent immigrants.

Methods:

A qualitative systematic review was performed. A comprehensive search of MEDLINE (1946 to January 2021) and EMBASE (1974 to January 2021) was conducted to identify existing literature that addressed the primary research question. Studies were eligible for inclusion if the study population involved 1) the general population, 2) Indigenous populations, 3) recent immigrants to Canada or 4) Canadian health care professionals.

Results:

Thirty-four studies were included with a focus on the general population (n = 22), health care professionals (n = 10) and recent immigrant populations (n = 2). The most frequently reported barriers were lack of vaccine information (41%), lack of access to vaccination (38%), fear of adverse reactions (38%), financial reasons (29%), lack of awareness of vaccine existence (29%), antivaccine sentiments (24%), notion that older adults do not need vaccination (18%), misconceptions on vaccine effectiveness (12%), potential sexual health promotion stigma (6%) and fear of needles (3%).

Interpretation:

Barriers to vaccination among Canadians and recent immigrants continue to be a challenge in the health care system.

Conclusions:

The greatest yield in improving vaccination rates is likely to come from supporting vaccine-hesitant individuals in shifting their thinking to greater vaccine acceptance. Pharmacists are well positioned to address vaccine hesitancy and involvement through education, facilitation and administration of vaccines. Can Pharm J (Ott) 2022;155:xx-xx.

A Behavioral analysis of nurses' and pharmacists' role in addressing vaccine hesitancy: scoping review

The purpose of this review was to identify, characterize, and map the existing knowledge on a) nurses' and pharmacists' perceived barriers and enablers to addressing vaccine hesitancy among patients; and b) strategies or interventions for nurses and pharmacists to address vaccine hesitancy in their practice. Our comprehensive search strategy targeted peer-reviewed and grey literature. Two independent reviewers screened papers and extracted data. We coded narrative descriptions of barriers and enablers and interventions using the Behavior Change Wheel. Sixty-six records were included in our review. Reported barriers (n = 9) and facilitators (n = 6) were identified in the capability, opportunity and motivation components. The majority of the reported interventions were categorized as education (n = 47) and training (n = 26). This current scoping review offers a detailed behavioral analysis of known barriers and enablers for nurses and pharmacists to address vaccine hesitancy and interventions mapped onto these behavioral determinants.

COVID-19 and influenza vaccine hesitancy among college students

BACKGROUND

Successful vaccination against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an essential component of achieving community immunity to bring the COVID-19 pandemic to an end. Vaccine hesitancy, identified as a top threat to global health by the World Health Organization, is a significant barrier to vaccine uptake. With COVID-19 vaccination programs in effect since December 2020, it is critical that vaccination barriers are proactively identified. With limited information surrounding college students' perspectives on COVID-19 vaccines, outreach measures will play a pivotal role in vaccine uptake in this population. Development of informative, cohort-driven vaccination campaigns requires proactive assessment of factors influencing vaccine hesitancy, access, and uptake.

OBJECTIVES

The primary objective of this study was to investigate the spectrum of vaccine hesitancy among college students at the University of Rhode Island (URI). The secondary objective was to identify differences in COVID-19 and influenza vaccine hesitancy rates in this population.

METHODS

A 22-item, Institutional Review Board-approved, anonymous questionnaire was developed to survey URI students who voluntarily attended 2 joint University Health Services and College of Pharmacy influenza vaccination clinics in November 2020.

RESULTS

A total of 237 vaccination clinic participants consented and responded to at least 1 question on the survey. Once available to their respective priority group, 92% are very/somewhat likely to receive a COVID-19 vaccine and 50% will receive a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible. Only 3% of the participants stated that they would never receive a COVID-19 vaccine. The top 3 reported COVID-19 vaccine-related concerns were safety (37%), effectiveness (24%), and limited information (16%). When asked if COVID-19 vaccines and influenza vaccines should be mandated, 85% and 83%, respectively, were in favor.

CONCLUSION

Understanding the spectrum of vaccine hesitancy is critical in achieving COVID-19 community immunity thresholds. URI students are willing to be vaccinated against COVID-19 provided that the vaccines are proven safe and efficacious.