Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Nov 25;156(1 Suppl):7S-17S.
doi: 10.1177/17151635221136552. eCollection 2023 Jan-Feb.

Experiences of community pharmacists administering COVID-19 vaccinations: A qualitative study

Sandra Gerges  1 , Victoria Gudzak  2 , Susan Bowles  3 , Charlotte Logeman  4 , Sarah Abu Fadaleh  2 , Lucie M Bucci  5 , Anna Taddio  2   4
Affiliations

Experiences of community pharmacists administering COVID-19 vaccinations: A qualitative study

Sandra Gerges et al. Can Pharm J (Ott). .

Abstract

Background: Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, community pharmacists have played an important role in the provision of patient care, including the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines. The additional workload and related demands arising from these extended services might affect worklife burnout. This qualitative study explored the experiences of Canadian community pharmacists in providing COVID-19 vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: Eighteen community pharmacists across 10 provinces were asked about vaccination processes and perceptions about their role in separate, virtual semistructured interviews. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using a deductive approach using the Areas of Worklife Burnout framework, with pharmacists' self-reported descriptions of their activities summarized using the Association of Faculties of Pharmacy of Canada's (AFPC) professional competencies framework.

Results: Participants identified aspects of their role that were rewarding and challenging. Some challenges included lack of control, increased workload, inadequate communication, unfair treatment and conflicting values. They described being able to meet challenges and demonstrating resiliency via adaptability, developing communities and valuing their contribution to ending the COVID-19 pandemic. Self-identified AFPC competencies contributing to their ability to manage their worklife included care-provider, professional, leader-manager, collaborator and scholar.

Conclusion: Pharmacists accepted their additional responsibility of managing COVID-19 vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, they expressed some challenges with this role. To ensure sustainability of these services, prioritizing adequate resources, work processes and efficient communication with all relevant stakeholder groups, including public health, government and corporate leaders, is recommended for the future. Can Pharm J (Ott) 2023;156(Suppl):xx-xx.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. World Health Organization. WHO director-general’s opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19. March 11, 2020. Available: https://www.who.int/director-general/speeches/detail/who-director-genera... (accessed Apr. 29, 2022).
    1. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Timeline of COVID-19 cases across Canada. Available: https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/canada-coronavirus-timeline-1.5482310 (accessed Apr. 29, 2022).
    1. Government of Canada. COVID-19 daily epidemiology update. Available: https://health-infobase.canada.ca/covid-19/epidemiological-summary-covid... (accessed Apr. 29, 2022).
    1. Canadian Pharmacists Association. Pharmacists’ scope of practice during COVID-19 (2021). Available: https://www.pharmacists.ca/cpha-ca/function/utilities/pdf-server.cfm?the... (accessed Apr. 29, 2022).
    1. Pharmacy Association of Nova Scotia. Healthcare services available from pharmacists. Available: https://novascotia.ca/dhw/pharmacare/healthcare-services.asp (accessed Apr. 29, 2022).