Evaluation of patient satisfaction and experience towards pharmacist-administered vaccination services in Western Australia

Abstract

Background Pharmacist-administered vaccination services have been available in various countries for several years. In 2014, Western Australian (WA) legislation was introduced to allow pharmacist immunisers to administer the influenza vaccine to consumers 18 years and older. Objective To determine consumer satisfaction with pharmacist-administered influenza vaccination services in WA and identify factors associated with opinions to extend the service to include other vaccines. Setting Thirteen WA community pharmacies. Method In 2015, 133 pharmacies in WA offered pharmacist-administered influenza vaccinations. Of the 133 pharmacies, a purposive sample of 10% (13) were invited to participate in this 2016 study. Following vaccination, consumers were given a questionnaire and asked to evaluate the service and if they would support expansion of the service to include other vaccinations. Main outcome measure Consumer satisfaction with aspects of the service using a 5-point Likert scale. Results A total of 434 (66.8%) questionnaires were completed at the 13 pharmacies and returned. The majority of consumers (99.5%) were satisfied with the service overall, and 97.2% advised they would receive a vaccination from a community pharmacist in the future. Over 60% would like vaccinations to expand to other conditions. Women and those who would again have their influenza vaccine from the pharmacist were particularly supportive of this expansion. Conclusion Consumer satisfaction with pharmacist-administered vaccinations was high. Consumers found the service convenient, comfortable and professional. The majority of respondents supported expansion of pharmacist-administered vaccination services to a wider range of vaccines.

Keywords: Community pharmacy; Influenza; Pharmacist; Vaccination; Western Australia.