The impact of an immunization training certificate program on the perceived knowledge, skills and attitudes of pharmacy students toward pharmacy-based immunizations

Abstract

ObjectiveTo assess the impact of a national immunization training certificate program on the perceived knowledge, skills and attitudes of pharmacy students toward pharmacy-based immunizations.MethodsThe study design utilized a pre- and post-survey administered to pharmacy students before and after the American Pharmacists Association’s (APhA) Pharmacy-Based Immunization Delivery program. The primary outcome explored was a change in the perceived knowledge, skills, and attitudes of the pharmacy students. A five-point Likert scale (i.e. strongly agree = 5, strongly disagree = 1) was used for measuring the main outcomes, which was summated by adding the individual item scores in each section to form a composite score for each outcome.ResultsThe certificate training program resulted in a significant improvement in knowledge (38.5% increase in score, p<0.001) and skills (34.5% increase in score, p<0.001), but not attitudes (1% increase in score, p=0.210).ConclusionsThe national immunization training certificate program had a positive impact on the perceived knowledge and skills of pharmacy students. However, no change was observed regarding students’ perceived attitudes toward pharmacy-based immunizations.

Timeliness of Childhood Primary Immunization and Risk Factors Related with Delays: Evidence from the 2014 Zhejiang Provincial Vaccination Coverage Survey

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“…Another study investigated the implementation the training program of national immunization, in which a significant impact was reported on the demonstrated knowledge and expertise of the competent students. Nevertheless, the purported pharmacy students' attitudes did not vary considerably (26) .…”

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“…[8][9][10][11][12] Upon conclusion, each individual element was found to be a valuable part of the student experience by increasing student confidence levels.…”

“…These results reinforce the findings of one study where students felt that the most beneficial aspects of the APhA course were the hands-on practical experience in immunization technique and learning the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) immunization schedules. 11 Despite the didactic portion of the APhA course covering the topics of GRITS and VAERS, approximately a quarter of the students reported a lack of confidence (rating of 1 or 2) in these areas after the training course. This may be due to the lack of active learning used during the course for these topics as compared to others such as screening patients for contraindications.…”