Impact of perceived innovation characteristics on adoption of pharmacy-based in-house immunization services

Objectives

An in-house immunization service in which staff pharmacists administer vaccines was conceptualized as an innovation. Prior to making adoption decisions, community pharmacies evaluated characteristics of in-house immunization services. This study examined the impact of three specific characteristics (perceived benefit, perceived compatibility and perceived complexity) of in-house immunization services on community pharmacies' adoption decisions.

Methods

A multi-stage mixed-mode survey design was used to collect data from key informants of community pharmacies in Washington State, USA. Key informants included pharmacy managers or pharmacists-on-duty who were able to answer questions related to immunization activities in their pharmacies. Perceived characteristics of in-house immunization services and pharmacy adoption decisions were measured in 2004 and in 2006–2007, respectively.

Key findings

Each perceived characteristic individually predicted adoption of in-house immunization services. When all three characteristics were included in logistic regression, perceived benefit was the only significant predictor of in-house immunization service adoption.

Conclusions

Appropriate strategies, particularly promoting the benefit of in-house immunization services, should be implemented. The proposed model and findings may be applicable to other pharmacy-based innovative practices or other public health initiatives. We recommend that organizational leaders, researchers and practitioners consider the impact of perceived benefit and incorporate it when they design strategies to foster adoption of innovative practices. Doing this may increase the number of adopters and also increase diffusion rates for innovative services.

Emergency preparedness training for veterinarians: prevention of zoonotic transmission

Natural zoonotic outbreaks can cause widespread devastation, and several zoonoses can be transmitted as agents of bioterrorism. Although veterinarians can be vital in controlling the transmission of zoonotic diseases, many lack knowledge about their roles in emergency response and about zoonoses. A training session titled "Prevention of Zoonotic Disease Transmission" was provided for New York veterinarians. The training was evaluated using pre-training, post-training, and follow-up surveys, which measured increase in and retention of knowledge. Seventy-five (75) veterinary professionals participated in the training, and 91% responded on pre- and post-training surveys. The percentage of respondents who correctly answered the objective knowledge questions increased from pre-training to post-training. Furthermore, follow-up surveys demonstrated that participants were able to retain much of the information from the training session. Very little research has been found that evaluates a similar training event. As knowledge increases, additional training conferences could benefit veterinarians and supplement this research. The results of the pre-training, post-training, and follow-up surveys indicate that veterinary professionals' knowledge of zoonoses can be significantly improved after receiving training; participants found the training to be useful and requested additional training, indicating that veterinary professionals have a desire to learn about emergency preparedness topics.