Impact of the American Pharmacists Association's (APhA) Immunization Training Certification Program

Abstract

Objectives. To survey a random sample of pharmacist participants in the American Pharmacists Association's (APhA) Immunization Training Certification Program to determine: (1) their opinions and perceived benefits from the training program; (2) current involvement and nature of involvement in immunization-related activities, particularly administering; and (3) perceived barriers to implementing pharmacy-based immunization services. Methods. A questionnaire was mailed to 600 pharmacists who were randomly selected from 3,233 pharmacists who participated in APhA's training program as of August 2001. Results. Four mailings yielded a response rate of 38.8%. Pharmacists were overwhelmingly satisfied with the training they had received with 92.3% indicating that they would recommend the training to other pharmacists. A majority (56.6%) of pharmacists trained by APhA to provide immunizations were providing immunization-related services. Over half (65.4%) of the practicing pharmacists reported administering adult vaccines, but only 3.1% reported administering childhood vaccines. In states that allow pharmacists to administer vaccines, both those administering and those not administering vaccines perceived availability of time as the primary barrier. Conclusion. Pharmacists who had participated in APhA's Immunization Training Certificate program were satisfied with the training that they had received. About half of those trained are administering adult immunizations. Pharmacists who were not administering vaccines generally rated the barriers to immunization as more severe than those administering.

Community pharmacies as sites of adult vaccination: A systematic review

“…Immunization training is a necessary prerequisite to providing PBIS and can help decrease the burden of certain barriers. 43,51 However, this is not sufficient to ensure or maintain pharmacists' participation in PBIS, as evidenced by immunization-certified pharmacists who are not actively involved with PBIS or who have discontinued offering immunizations due to difficulties encountered after certification. 38,40,55 In order to maintain immunization services, additional resources beyond certification are needed to efficiently train pharmacists, such as the RxVaccinate program which provides training and tools for PBIS implementation.…”

“…39,49,50 Not surprisingly, 3 studies found formal training to be an important factor in incorporating immunization services into community pharmacies. 2,48,51 Pharmacists who believed that the ability to vaccinate advanced their field were 7 times more likely to be immunization certified. 40 Conversely, non-certified pharmacists commonly cited lack of knowledge or training as a major barrier to participating in immunization services when compared to certified pharmacists.…”

“…40 Conversely, non-certified pharmacists commonly cited lack of knowledge or training as a major barrier to participating in immunization services when compared to certified pharmacists. 38 In-pharmacy training and formal certification programs, such as those offered by the American Pharmacists Association, are used to train and educate pharmacy students 44 and practicing pharmacists 51 about immunization practice. Furthermore, 68 Cost Analysis Model n/a n/a n/a Financial gains and losses for vaccineadvocacy letters; vaccination rates E Model indicates that a pharmacist-written letter campaign advocating influenza vaccination could prevent hospitalizations and deaths, and yield a net savings to Medicare.…”

“…44 Pharmacists who had received immunization-related educational training were more willing to vaccinate than those who had not, and found common barriers to be less problematic. 43,51 Similarly, immunization-certified pharmacists were much more likely to be involved in some aspect of immunization (99%) than noncertified pharmacists (24%). 48 The presence of one or more immunization-certified pharmacists was correlated with the pharmacy offering immunization services, 53 and with a transition from no or outsourced services to a pharmacist-delivered immunization system.…”

Immunization Training: Right or Privilege?

“…The first formal national training and certificate program aimed at pharmacists was introduced by the American Pharmacists Association in 1996 and was quickly adopted as a curricular model and component by many colleges and schools. [1][2][3] The 1990s also saw extensive changes to many pharmacy practice acts, expanding the pharmacists' scope of practice to include the administration of immunizations. By 2004, forty-three states recognized pharmacists as immunizers, and now all 50 states, including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, have authorized such privileges.…”