Flu Vaccinations in Pharmacies—A Review of Pharmacists Fighting Pandemics and Infectious Diseases

Marcin Czech, Marcin Balcerzak, Adam Antczak, Michał Byliniak, Elżbieta Piotrowska-Rutkowska, Mariola Drozd, Grzegorz Juszczyk, Urszula Religioni, Regis Vaillancourt and Piotr Merks
Additional contact information
Marcin Czech: Department of Pharmacoeconomics, Institute of Mother and Child, 01-211 Warsaw, Poland
Marcin Balcerzak: Medink eu, 05-500 Warsaw, Poland
Adam Antczak: Polish Flu Vaccination Coalition, 00-061 Warsaw, Poland
Michał Byliniak: Polish Pharmaceutical Chamber, 00-238 Warsaw, Polska
Elżbieta Piotrowska-Rutkowska: Polish Pharmaceutical Chamber, 00-238 Warsaw, Polska
Mariola Drozd: Didactic Center, Department of Ethics and Medical Law, Department of Social Medicine, Inter-Faculty, Medical University of Lublin, 20-081 Lublin, Poland
Grzegorz Juszczyk: Department of Public Health, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-097 Warsaw, Poland
Urszula Religioni: Collegium of Business Administration, Warsaw School of Economics, 02-513 Warsaw, Poland
Regis Vaillancourt: Pharmacie Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Centre Hospitalier Pour Enfants de l’est de l’Ontario, 401 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L1, Canada
Piotr Merks: Faculty of Medicine, Collegium Medicum, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University, 01-815 Warsaw, Poland

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 21, 1-12

Abstract: The phenomenon of population ageing observed over recent years involves growing healthcare needs and the limited staffing and financing of healthcare systems, and as such demands some functional changes in the healthcare model in many countries. This situation is particularly significant in the face of a pandemic, e.g., flu, and currently COVID-19.As well as social education, preventive vaccinations are the most effective method of fighting the infectious diseases posing a special threat to seniors. Despite this, the vaccination coverage level in most European countries is relatively low. This is largely due to patients having limited access to vaccinations. In some countries, implementing vaccinations in pharmacies and by authorized pharmacists has significantly improved vaccination coverage rates and herd immunity, while lowering the cost of treating infections and the resulting complications, as well as minimizing the phenomenon of inappropriate antibiotic therapies. This article presents the role of pharmacists in the prevention of infectious diseases, pointing out the measurable effects of engaging pharmacists in conducting preventive vaccinations, as well as analyzing the models of implementing and conducting vaccinations in pharmacies in selected countries, and depicting recommendations regarding vaccinations developed by international organizations. The presented data is used to suggest requirements for the implementation of preventive vaccinations in community pharmacies.

Keywords: vaccination; pharmacy; pharmacist; flu; COVID-19 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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