Engagement in a Diverse Urban Community to Describe Community Residents’ Perceptions of Pharmacists as Immunizers

Abstract

Objective: To describe the perceptions of pharmacist-delivered vaccination services among community members that live in a diverse urban metropolitan area and to identify potential strategies to improve the use of vaccines provided by pharmacists. Design: Qualitative study. Setting: Metropolitan urban diverse community in Wayne County, MI. Participants: Individuals 50 years of age and older that reside in a defined urban metropolitan community. Intervention: Four, 45-minute, focus group discussions were conducted to gather the experiences and perceptions of participants around pharmacists that immunize. A focus group guide was developed to facilitate focus group sessions. Main Outcome Measures: Focus group discussions were audio-recorded and transcribed. Content analysis was used to analyze data and identify relevant themes. Results: Three main themes were identified related to the use of pharmacist-delivered vaccination services: trust with vaccine providers, interaction with pharmacy personnel, and the factor of accessibility. Conclusion: Study participants expressed views that will guide the development of interventions aimed to reduce disparities in vaccine utilization. It is suggested that future efforts improve accessibility to pharmacy-delivered vaccines in this community and enhance the interaction between patients and pharmacists. Type: Original Research

Keywords

• pharmacists, vaccinations, pharmacist-delivered vaccinations, patient-pharmacist relationship, perceptions, qualitative research