scholarly journals Community Pharmacist-Administered COVID-19 Vaccinations: A Pilot Customer Survey on Satisfaction and Motivation to Get Vaccinated

Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 1320
Author(s):  
Dominik Stämpfli ◽  
Adrian Martinez-De la Torre ◽  
Elodie Simi ◽  
Sophie Du Pasquier ◽  
Jérôme Berger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Adult Population ◽  
Community Pharmacists ◽  
Injection Technique ◽  
Perceived Trust ◽  
Information Level ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Swiss Health ◽  
Service To Others ◽  
Ease Of Access ◽  
Customer Survey

In response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, Swiss health authorities approved and ordered two mRNA vaccines in 2021. The canton of Zurich was the second in Switzerland to allow community pharmacists to administer the COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine Moderna to the adult population. We aimed to pilot a customer satisfaction questionnaire regarding COVID-19 vaccinations in Zurich pharmacies. Questions focused on satisfaction with different aspects of the service, motivation for getting the vaccination, and reasons for being vaccinated in a pharmacy. Zurich pharmacies administered 68,169 COVID-19 doses until June 2021, and 421 questionnaires were filled. Respondents’ mean age was 43.5 (±13.2) years, with 42.3% reporting being women and 46.1% being men. Of the 372 complete questionnaires, 98.7% of the respondents would have recommended the service to others. High levels of satisfaction were reported concerning pre-vaccination discussion (98.9%), pharmacies’ information level on COVID-19 vaccines (98.9%), general comfort with receiving the vaccination in a pharmacy (99.5%), injection technique (99.2%), and premises used (98.1%). Most respondents (57.3%) would have had the option of another vaccination provider, but the pharmacies were chosen for their opening hours, ease of access, and perceived trust. The availability of pharmacist-administered services may be an important contributor to a successful vaccination programme in Switzerland.

scholarly journals Perception of Risk, Self-Efficacy and Social Trust during the Diffusion of Covid-19 in Italy

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (7) ◽  
pp. 3427
Author(s):  
Pierluigi Diotaiuti ◽  
Giuseppe Valente ◽  
Stefania Mancone ◽  
Lavinia Falese ◽  
Fernando Bellizzi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Perception ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Social Trust ◽  
Interpersonal Trust ◽  
Central Area ◽  
Perception Of Risk ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Perceived Trust ◽  
Health Authorities

The Coronavirus pandemic has affected the lives of people all over the world. The perception of risk and people’s consequent behaviour during a pandemic are very complex and are affected by multiple cultural and psychological factors. The aim of this study was to investigate the change in risk perception, perceived self-efficacy and the perceived trust in the behaviour of others, the decisions of health authorities and government provisions, as well as the variation of self-restraint behaviours during the spread of the Covid-19 epidemic in Italy. We used a convenience sample of 707 university students (Mage = 22.99; SD = 4.01) from a central area of Italy. Participants freely joined the research by answering an online questionnaire between February and March 2020. Three time intervals defined by the progressive containment measures implemented by the Italian Government were considered. Main outcome measures were the Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale, the Risk Perception Index, the Index of Self-restraint Behaviours, and Institutional and Interpersonal Trust Measures. Results confirmed that significant changes in the time progression have occurred in the perception of risk, in the perception of individual self-efficacy, in the value attributed to social responsibility, in interpersonal trust and in trust in health authorities. The study also identified the participants’ personality traits and locus of control as predictors (positive and negative) of perceived self-efficacy and tested a mediation model of trust on the effect of risk perception on self-restraint intentions.

Asynchronicity, Access, and Attainment

2015 ◽  
pp. 356-375 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathew J. Bergman ◽  
Kevin J. Rose ◽  
Meera Alagaraja
Keyword(s):  
Adult Learners ◽  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Content Delivery ◽  
Student Interaction ◽  
Learning Program ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Access Cost ◽  
Ease Of Access

In this chapter, the authors share specific ways in which the Organizational Leadership and Learning Program provides excellence in access, cost effectiveness, learning effectiveness, and faculty and student satisfaction. The program is designed to meet the needs of adult learners with some college but no degree and incorporates the use of asynchronous content delivery and faculty-student interaction. The exposure to course content via an online platform, interaction with students and faculty online, and the development of a learning community at a distance equips students not only with content knowledge, but also with technical prowess that is necessary in a technology-based workplace. Despite the relative ease of access and clear benefits of higher education, challenges still exist with educating an adult population. Therefore, it is essential that more adult friendly practices become integrated into the fabric of traditional four-year colleges and universities.

scholarly journals Audit of Safety of Intramuscular Botulinum Toxin Injections among Patients Receiving Warfarin Anticoagulation Therapy

2012 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 101-104
Author(s):  
Yogendra Jagatsinh ◽  
Jim George
Keyword(s):  
Botulinum Toxin ◽  
Brain Injury ◽  
Anticoagulant Therapy ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Anticoagulation Therapy ◽  
Significant Risk ◽  
Acquired Brain Injury ◽  
Injection Technique ◽  
Minor Bleeding ◽  
Intramuscular Injections

Abstract Background Botulinum toxin (BTX) intramuscular injections are an effective treatment for spasticity in acquired brain injury. Despite use since the 1980s, issues concerning technique, dose and long-term side-effects remain unresolved. For example, the safety of BTX in warfarinised patients is unclear. There are two studies reporting the risk of intramuscular injections in patients receiving anticoagulant therapy with regard to possible local haematoma formation. There is no advice on this subject in the manufacturers’ summary of product characteristics for the original brand of warfarin, Dysport, BOTOX, Xeomin or in the British National Formulary. Aim To assess the safety of BTX injections in patients receiving oral anticoagulation. Design Prospective audit of safe practice. Setting Outpatient setting in a rehabilitation centre. Population Adult population affected with spasticity with acquired brain injury and receiving concurrent warfarin anticoagulant therapy. Methods Fourteen patients who were receiving anticoagulant therapy were given regular BTX (number of injection cycles or total mean no of injections each). Patients gave written informed consent before the injections. Injection technique did not differ from that used for un-anticoagulated patients. Patients were assessed by the injector for obvious haemorrhage in the first 15 minutes after the injection resulting in swelling, bruising, tenderness or haematoma. Patients were asked to watch for appearance of local reactions like swelling, bruising or haematoma and pain in the first week. Results There were no clinically detectable local complications after intramuscular injections and no major or minor bleeding episodes after BTX injections. Conclusion In our group, BTX injections were administered intramuscularly to patients who were receiving anticoagulant therapy without significant risk of local bleeding. However, injections must be used with caution in patients with an INR above the therapeutic range. Clinical rehabilitation impact BTX can be safely given in patients on anticoagulation therapy with safety checks in place.

scholarly journals Dispensing of Banned Phenolphthalein and Ketoconazole: Simulated Patients Method

2021 ◽  
pp. 46-50
Author(s):  
Mohammed Alshakka ◽  
Wafa Badulla ◽  
Mohamed Izham Mohamed Ibrahim
Keyword(s):  
Fungal Infections ◽  
Community Pharmacists ◽  
Simulated Patients ◽  
Community Pharmacies ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Health Safety ◽  
The Public ◽  
Ease Of Access

Introduction: Banned and harmful medicines can affect patient’s health, safety and life.                    There are two medicines available in Aden community pharmacies (phenolphthalein (PP) and ketoconazole (KZ)) that are globally banned. The objective of this study was to evaluate the availability and dispensing of banned phenolphthalein and ketoconazole by community pharmacists. Methods: A preliminary cross-sectional simulated patients method was carried out. The study gathered data on dispensing behavior. Simulated patients were trained to access the availability of banned drugs existing in the community pharmacies. The availability of these two banned drugs was observed and recorded. The pharmacists were asked about the availability of a PP laxative for treating constipation called in Yemen a khat laxative (Sharbat Alkhat) and KZ for fungal infections in 50 convenient samples of community pharmacies that were selected based on ease of access by the simulated patients. Results: PP was found in 3/50 (6%) pharmacies, while 31/50 (62%) pharmacies kept KZ in the premise.  Conclusion: The availability of these drugs in Yemeni pharmacies is worrisome.  It can affect the safety of the public.

scholarly journals COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in Eight European Countries: Prevalence, Determinants and Heterogeneity

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janina Steinert ◽  
Henrike Sternberg ◽  
Hannah Prince ◽  
Barbara Fasolo ◽  
Matteo Galizzi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Adult Population ◽  
Recursive Partitioning ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Vaccine Uptake ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Medical Benefits ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Vaccination Certificate

Abstract Vaccine hesitancy poses a major obstacle to containing COVID-19. Previous experimental studies of communication strategies for promoting COVID-19 vaccine uptake have been conducted in a single country each, often testing strategies that have differed from those studied in other countries. On the few occasions when two or more single-country studies have tested similar treatments, they have yielded inconsistent findings. For example, highlighting pro-social benefits increased participants’ willingness to get vaccinated in the UK and the US, but had no effect in France and the UK, thus calling into question the often implied generalisability of previous findings. We experimentally assess the effectiveness of different information treatments across eight European countries and examine heterogeneity in the willingness to get vaccinated against COVID-19, as well as in the perceptions of the different vaccines available, within and across countries. We reveal striking differences in COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy across countries, ranging from 5.5% of the adult population in Spain to 50.94% in Bulgaria. The main barriers to vaccine acceptance were fears regarding the quality and safety of the vaccines, as well as mistrust in government. Receiving information emphasising (i) COVID-19 risk reduction through vaccination, (ii) non-medical benefits of a vaccination certificate, and (iii) hedonistic benefits significantly increases vaccination willingness in Germany, but only the vaccination certificate message significantly increases willingness in the UK. No information treatment has significant effects in any other country. A machine-learning technique, model-based recursive partitioning, reveals that the effectiveness of some information treatments is highly heterogeneous among subsets of the population, with adverse effects for Spanish, German and Italian participants without active employment. The heterogeneity of vaccine hesitancy and responses to different messages suggests that health authorities should avoid one-size-fits-all messages and instead tailor vaccination campaigns to their specific target populations, with special care to more disadvantaged populations.

scholarly journals Back to the Cradle of Cytotherapy: Integrating a Century of Clinical Research and Biotechnology-Based Manufacturing for Modern Tissue-Specific Cellular Treatments in Switzerland

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 221
Author(s):  
Alexis Laurent ◽  
Philippe Abdel-Sayed ◽  
Corinne Scaletta ◽  
Philippe Laurent ◽  
Elénie Laurent ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Therapeutic Potential ◽  
Past Century ◽  
Clinical Implementation ◽  
The Past ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Regulatory Frameworks ◽  
Swiss Health ◽  
Patient Health ◽  
Methodological Aspects ◽  
Made In

Empirically studied by Dr. Brown-Séquard in the late 1800s, cytotherapies were later democratized by Dr. Niehans during the twentieth century in Western Switzerland. Many local cultural landmarks around the Léman Riviera are reminiscent of the inception of such cell-based treatments. Despite the discreet extravagance of the remaining heirs of “living cell therapy” and specific enforcements by Swiss health authorities, current interest in modern and scientifically sound cell-based regenerative medicine has never been stronger. Respective progress made in bioengineering and in biotechnology have enabled the clinical implementation of modern cell-based therapeutic treatments within updated medical and regulatory frameworks. Notably, the Swiss progenitor cell transplantation program has enabled the gathering of two decades of clinical experience in Lausanne for the therapeutic management of cutaneous and musculoskeletal affections, using homologous allogeneic cell-based approaches. While striking conceptual similarities exist between the respective works of the fathers of cytotherapy and of modern highly specialized clinicians, major and important iterative updates have been implemented, centered on product quality and risk-analysis-based patient safety insurance. This perspective article highlights some historical similarities and major evolutive differences, particularly regarding product safety and quality issues, characterizing the use of cell-based therapies in Switzerland over the past century. We outline the vast therapeutic potential to be harnessed for the benefit of overall patient health and the importance of specific scientific methodological aspects.

scholarly journals Experiences of the Pharmacy-Led Weight Management Service: Views of Service Providers in England

Pharmacy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 82
Author(s):  
Aliki Peletidi ◽  
Reem Kayyali
Keyword(s):  
Weight Management ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Community Pharmacists ◽  
Management Service ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Pharmacy Staff ◽  
Work Pressure ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Training And Support

Obesity constitutes one of the main modifiable risks of developing cardiovascular disease. In the UK, in 2016, 30% of the adult population were obese (30% of females and 29% of males). Community pharmacies are ideally situated to offer weight management (WM) services, enabling individuals to control and lose their excess weight. This study aimed at exploring the views of the pharmacy-led WM service providers in England. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 trained community pharmacists and pharmacy staff—11 (73.3%) from Kent, three (20%) from Kingston and Richmond and one (6.7%) from Hackney and City—offering the WM service, either owning or working in independent pharmacies or for pharmacy chains. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and anonymised. The analysis was conducted using thematic analysis. Three themes emerged: training and support, barriers and approach. Interestingly, service providers (SP) stated that obesity is a tough topic to talk about: they found it difficult to start a conversation about it, even if they had received training to facilitate this role. Additionally, several barriers for running such a service were identified, such as lack of time, too much work pressure and too little advertising, which could potentially lead to poor sustainability of the service. SPs can effectively intervene in an individual’s weight through the WM service that they offer. It is clear that further training should be provided in order for SPs to feel more comfortable in approaching and communicating with people and to increase the public’s awareness of the pharmacy-led WM service, so as to ensure the service’s sustainability.

scholarly journals Community Pharmacists’ Opinions towards Poor Prescription Writing in Jazan, Saudi Arabia

Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 1077
Author(s):  
Saad Saeed Alqahtani
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Community Pharmacists ◽  
P Value ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Significance Level ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Chi Square Test ◽  
Prescription Writing

Avoidance of medication errors is imperative for the safe use of medications, and community pharmacists are uniquely placed to identify and resolve the errors that may arise due to poorly handwritten prescriptions. Purpose: To explore the opinion and attitudes of community pharmacists towards poor prescription writing and their suggestions to overcome this concern. Methods: A cross-sectional, self-administered survey was conducted among the community pharmacists in the Jazan region, Saudi Arabia. Descriptive analysis and chi-square test were used at 5% p-value (p > 0.05) as the significance level. Results: The response rate for the survey was 78.66%, and 140 community pharmacists agreed to participate. Among the study subjects, the majority (73.57%) had a bachelor’s degree. Nearly three-fourths (3/4) of the pharmacists (72.29%) chose to send the patient back to the prescriber when they found difficulty in interpreting the information from an illegible prescription. As many as 80.71% of the pharmacists believed that poorly handwritten prescriptions were the cause of actual errors when dispensing medications. The most commonly encountered problem due to poorly handwritten prescriptions was the commercial name of medicine, which was reported by around two-thirds (67.86%) of the pharmacists. The use of e-prescription was suggested by 72.86% of the pharmacists as a probable solution to encounter this problem. Conclusion: Our findings highlight the belief and attitudes of community pharmacists in the region and their opinions to solve this impending problem of poor prescription writing. Continuous professional development courses can be adopted to tackle the problem. Additionally, health authorities can work on incorporating and facilitating the use of e-prescription in the community sector, which can be a boon to physicians, pharmacists, and patients. Proper and extensive training is however needed before the implementation of e-prescribing.

scholarly journals The Implementation of the Professional Role of the Community Pharmacist in the Immunization Practices in Italy to Counteract Vaccine Hesitancy

Pharmacy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 155
Author(s):  
Rosagemma Ciliberti ◽  
Nicola Luigi Bragazzi ◽  
Alessandro Bonsignore
Keyword(s):  
Community Pharmacist ◽  
Community Pharmacists ◽  
Professional Role ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Community Pharmacies ◽  
Immunization Programs ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
The Public ◽  
Ease Of Access

In Italy, the National Vaccinal Prevention Plan has renewed the commitment of the Italian government to promote a culture of vaccination practices in the general population and especially among healthcare professionals, considering it as a strategic goal. The search for useful tools and techniques to promote a layered and widespread information network capable of restoring a climate of trust and confidence towards vaccination, leads us to reflect on the possibility, already adopted in numerous countries, of enlisting community pharmacies in immunization campaigns also in Italy, positively implementing the professional role of the community pharmacist in immunization. The pharmacist is often the first point of contact with both the patients and the public, both for the relationship of trust and confidence that binds him to the citizens, and for the ease of access in relation to the widespread distribution of community pharmacies in the territory, the availability of prolonged operating hours, the absence of need for appointments and positions near/outside of healthcare facilities. Currently, in Italy the role of the community pharmacist is limited to counseling and providing advice and information regarding the benefits and/or any risks of vaccination practices, but does not imply a direct engagement in immunization programs, rather a collaboration to avoid straining and overwhelming the vaccination centers. Some recent questionnaire-based studies have shown that Italian community pharmacists have attitudes that are favorable to vaccinations, even though their knowledge is rather limited. Together with expanding the engagement of community pharmacists in immunization programs, their educational gap should be addressed in order to significantly improve and enhance the protection of the public health.

scholarly journals The Role of Community Pharmacists in Travel Health and Vaccination in Switzerland

Pharmacy ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudine Leuthold ◽  
Olivier Bugnon ◽  
Jérôme Berger
Keyword(s):  
Community Pharmacists ◽  
Vaccination Strategy ◽  
Vaccination Rate ◽  
Research Education ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Tick Borne Encephalitis ◽  
Swiss Canton ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Influenza Vaccinations

This review presents the Swiss strategy initiated over the last several years to implement vaccination by community pharmacists. National health authorities aimed to integrate community pharmacists in the National Vaccination Strategy (NVS) in order to increase the vaccination rate in the Swiss population. To support this aim, universities and the Swiss Association of Pharmacists developed pre- and post-graduate education programmes on vaccination for pharmacists. Finally, each Swiss canton (sovereign for health-related aspects) set proper regulations to authorize pharmacists to vaccinate and to determine which vaccines could be administered. As of September 2018, 19 cantons (out of 26) had authorized influenza vaccinations under the sole responsibility of an accredited community pharmacist. Additional vaccinations were available in 13 cantons (e.g., tick-borne encephalitis or hepatitis A, B, or A and B). Such implementation in other countries should follow a similar top-down (following a national strategy to improve vaccination coverage) and stepwise (starting with influenza to demonstrate the competencies of community pharmacists) strategy, supported by the development of research, education and accreditation. The development of health advice related to travels in community pharmacies should follow the same development in Switzerland. Currently, it offers the opportunity for strengthening travellers’ safety, beyond vaccination issues.

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