Community pharmacists' pneumococcal vaccine knowledge and perceived barriers to vaccination

Pneumococcal disease is a serious bacterial infection, particularly for high-risk groups such as infants, adults 65 and older, and individuals with certain conditions; however, vaccination rates remain low. Pharmacists are often visited more frequently than primary care physicians and therefore are in a unique position to increase pneumococcal vaccination rates. This study aims to identify barriers to pneumococcal vaccination and assess pharmacists' knowledge of pneumococcal vaccines in a community pharmacy setting.

A cross-sectional study was conducted, surveying 124 pharmacists in South Carolina community pharmacies. The survey, which included 33 questions assessing knowledge, barriers to administration, Organizational Readiness for Change, current pharmacy immunization practices, and demographics, had a 47 % response rate. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the sample and key barriers were identified using exploratory factor analysis.

Pharmacists demonstrated limited knowledge of pneumococcal vaccination guidelines, identifying the correct vaccination recommendation in only three of nine cases. Barriers to vaccination were categorized into three subscales: financial, lack of resources, and patient-related factors, with Cronbach's alpha reliability scores ranging from 0.612 to 0.786. Most pharmacists expressed high confidence in their pharmacy's ability to provide vaccine services and coordinate tasks for implementing new services, but less confidence regarding staff willingness to adopt new vaccination services.

This study highlights gaps in pharmacists' knowledge of pneumococcal vaccine recommendations and identifies key barriers to vaccination within the community pharmacy setting. Targeted education and interventions could help address key barriers and enhance the effectiveness of community pharmacy immunization services, particularly for high-risk populations.