[Approach to upgrading pharmaceutical care: the example of immunization]

Area of Science:

• Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Clinical Pharmacy
• Immunization Practices

Context:

• A 500-bed mother-child university hospital setting.
• Focus on upgrading pharmaceutical care within immunization services.
• Descriptive study design involving literature review and practice analysis.

Purpose:

• To describe an approach for enhancing pharmaceutical care in immunization.
• To identify and evaluate existing pharmaceutical activities related to immunization.
• To propose specific interventions for improving pharmacists' roles in vaccination.

Summary:

• Literature review identified limited high-quality data on pharmacist impact in immunization.
• Eight pharmaceutical activities related to immunization were identified with varying levels of evidence.
• Proposed interventions include medication reconciliation, systematic record review, adverse event reporting, and new vaccine information dissemination.
• Annual vaccine expenditure was significantly lower than overall drug expenditure, highlighting potential for cost-effective interventions.

Impact:

• Provides a framework for improving pharmaceutical care in hospital immunization programs.
• Highlights the need for evidence-based pharmacist interventions to optimize vaccine management.
• Aims to enhance patient safety and adherence to immunization protocols through systematic pharmaceutical practices.