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Multicenter Study
. 2022 Aug 19;40(35):5207-5212.
doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.07.034. Epub 2022 Jul 28.

COVID-19 vaccinations in German pharmacies: A survey on patient and provider satisfaction

Olaf Rose  1 , Susanne Erzkamp  2 , Wiebke Schöbel  2 , Marcia Grajeda  2 , Juliane Köberlein-Neu  3
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

COVID-19 vaccinations in German pharmacies: A survey on patient and provider satisfaction

Olaf Rose et al. Vaccine. .

Abstract

Background: COVID-19 vaccinations applied in pharmacies can facilitate accessibility and potentially increase the vaccination rate but remain controversial in many countries. This study aimed to explore the patients' motivation to receive their COVID-19 vaccination in a pharmacy and examine patient and provider satisfaction with this novel service.

Methods: The study was designed as an explorative cross-sectional multicenter in-house quantitative survey and was conducted during the first weeks of COVID-19 vaccinations in German pharmacies from February to April 2022. The survey consisted of a paper-based questionnaire with scaling questions, multiple choice questions and open questions. Patients were recruited consecutively before their vaccination and completed the survey directly after the service. Vaccinating pharmacists were also invited to answer a questionnaire on their experiences, motivation and expectations.

Results: A total of 427 questionnaires out of 11 pharmacies were be included. The overall patient satisfaction with vaccinations in pharmacies was rated with the highest remarks by 91.5% of the participants, another 7.8% were fairly satisfied. Patient satisfaction with scheduling, waiting time, information, hygiene, vaccination technique and a feeling of safety was very high (96.5-97.9%). Patients' motivation on COVID-19 vaccination was to prevent severe COVID-19 symptoms (88.9%) and to protect others (72.3%). Easy accessibility, low barriers and proximity were other reasons for utilizing this service, mentioned by 61.8% of the patients. Pharmacists were highly motivated and found the task meaningful but experienced considerable personnel shortage. General practitioners rather expressed relief on their workload.

Conclusions: Data of this study strongly supports to include pharmacies as additional providers of COVID-19 vaccinations. Patients stated marked satisfaction with this setting and expressed a feeling of safety and trust. Whereas most patients may have utilized the service for convenience, easy accessibility and low barriers were appreciated and can potentially contribute to higher vaccination rates.

Keywords: COVID-19; Clinical pharmacy service; Patient satisfaction; Pharmacist; Questionnaire; Vaccination.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Motivational aspects for patients to get the COVID-19 vaccination in a pharmacy.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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