For more than a decade, World Immunization Week, a global public health campaign designed to raise awareness around vaccine-preventable diseases, has been recognized between April 24th and 30th.
As the World Health Organization (WHO) continues to demonstrate the critical value of vaccines, the goal of World Immunization Week remains simple: to boost vaccines throughout our communities while also shining a light on those who can most readily administer them – pharmacists!
Keep reading to learn how pharmacists continue to play a key role in boosting access to vaccines in communities across the nation and world, especially in underserved areas.
Pharmacists: expanding vaccine access
Pharmacies—and the pharmacists who work in them—have played an essential role in expanding vaccination access before, during and (soon to be) long after the COVID-19 pandemic. With 91% of Americans living within 5 miles of a pharmacy, pharmacists offer patients unparalleled accessibility and convenience—particularly when compared to getting vaccinated at a physician’s office.1 And with more and more pharmacies continuing to expand their vaccination services, patient access to immunizations expands along with it.
From vaccines that protect against COVID-19, to influenza and shingles, pharmacists are uniquely and ideally positioned to overcome the various challenges patients face when it comes to getting immunized. By serving as the community’s most knowledgeable and accessible care provider, pharmacists provide necessary education to overcome vaccine hesitancy, as well as possess the capabilities to physically administer the life-saving shots. In fact, many patients will consider vaccination after a recommendation from their community pharmacist, or other healthcare provider.
Vaccines – easy, convenient, safe
Getting vaccinated should always be easy and convenient for patients. And now, in the COVID-19 era, it must also be contact-free.
With PrescribeWellness’ Contact-free Vaccination Intake and Scheduling tool, pharmacists can send patients an email or text message that links to a pre-screening criteria form where they can enter basic demographics, report any exposure or symptoms, and even access a vaccine fact sheet. With the form submitted, the pharmacy can then electronically communicate back to the patient to confirm or reschedule an appointment.
Pharmacies even have the ability to generate a QR code to display on their front door or window, which when scanned, provides patients with the same pre-screening form and fact sheet that can be uploaded to the system before they even enter the pharmacy.
Going “contact-free” with PrescribeWellness streamlines intake and scheduling processes while also allowing pharmacists to stay in touch with patients.
Reporting and documentation
COVID-19 has also made immunization documentation and reporting compliance even more complex— and more critical—which in turn has made it imperative for pharmacies to have the capabilities to keep up with expanded requirements.
By facilitating integration and connectivity with state immunization information systems (IIS) to report COVID-19 vaccination data (and also to federal entities), the PrescribeWellness solution supports end-to-end operation of a successful vaccination business.
Want to learn more about how the turnkey PrescribeWellness solution can help community pharmacies implement and sustain a successful vaccination business? Fill out the form below, and we’ll be in touch!
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