Knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding vaccination among community pharmacists

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy practice
• Public health
• Vaccinology

Background:

• Healthcare professionals' vaccine recommendations are key to increasing community vaccination rates.
• Pharmacists, as accessible healthcare providers, play a vital role in vaccine counseling and recommendation.
• Pharmacists' knowledge and attitudes significantly influence their vaccine counseling and recommendation behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess community pharmacists' knowledge, attitudes, and practices concerning commonly used vaccines in Turkey.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional online survey was administered to 1100 community pharmacists in Turkey.
• The survey comprised 40 questions evaluating knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to vaccines.
• Data were collected from 430 participating pharmacists.

Main Results:

• A significant portion of pharmacists (30%) lacked knowledge about vaccination during pregnancy.
• While nearly 89% recommended vaccines, primarily influenza (83.9%), only 31.5% received the influenza vaccine themselves.
• Pharmacists who received the influenza vaccine demonstrated higher recommendation rates for it.

Conclusions:

• Community pharmacists in Turkey exhibit low vaccination uptake and insufficient knowledge regarding vaccination during pregnancy.
• There is a clear need for enhanced educational initiatives to improve pharmacists' knowledge and attitudes towards vaccines.
• Improving pharmacist education is essential for boosting vaccine acceptance and public health outcomes.