Christopher L. Meininger’s research while affiliated with Auburn University and other places

Background/objectives Community pharmacies may not consistently check patients' immunization records from Immunization Information Systems (IIS) before administering vaccines. Therefore, this study aimed to identify key factors associated with vaccine records retrieval from IIS among community pharmacies. Methods A cross-sectional survey of 9446 members of the United States National Community Pharmacists Association was conducted from September–November 2022. There were 492 responses (response rate 5.2 %) received. The analysis included 202 participants who provided immunization services in 2021, administered vaccines besides COVID-19 or influenza, and completed ≥80 % of the questionnaire. The dependent variable was participants' self-reported frequency of retrieving immunization records from IIS (categorized as high or low IIS users). The independent variables considered were participant/pharmacy characteristics, IIS knowledge and perceptions about innovation characteristics, process, and inner settings, as identified by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. Exploratory factor analysis identified ten perception scales, and all had Cronbach's Alpha coefficient of >0.70. Results Approximately 65 % of the respondents were high IIS users (“frequently”/“always”) while 35 % were low IIS users (“never”/“rarely”/“occasionally”). A bivariate analyses of the relationship between the dependent and independent variables indicated significant differences in job title, state requirement for documentation in IIS, and eight scales: perceived benefit of IIS in consolidating patient records, optimizing immunization service delivery process, perceived IIS usability, process of engaging staff in IIS implementation, leadership support in encouraging IIS utilization, team values, open communications, and organizational needs fulfillment. A multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that process optimization (p = .009) and leadership support (p = .018) were the two significant predictors of being in the high IIS user group when accounting for other variables. Conclusion Interventions to encourage independent community pharmacies to retrieve vaccine records from IIS should focus on enhancing the efficiency of the IIS process and leadership support.

Pharmacists are well-positioned to help increase pediatric immunization rates. This study assessed the types of pediatric vaccines offered in community pharmacies, compared participant/pharmacy characteristics and participants’ perceptions of barriers and pharmacists’ role in providing pediatric immunizations between pharmacy-based providers and non-providers, and assessed factors associated with pharmacy-based pediatric immunization provision. A cross-sectional survey was sent to Alabama community pharmacies from February to April 2023, of which 240 responded (20.5% response rate). Measures included whether they offered childhood vaccines in 2022 and the types of vaccines administered, participants’ perceptions of pharmacists’ role in pediatric immunization, and perceived barriers to providing pharmacy-based pediatric immunizations. Roughly half of pharmacies (50.8%) provided pediatric immunization services with influenza vaccines (91.0%) the most commonly provided vaccines and poliovirus-inactivated vaccines (4.9%) the least. Pharmacies providing pediatric immunization services significantly differed from non-providers. That is, the majority of providers practiced within a grocery or retail store; they were younger and practiced in a pharmacy with higher average daily prescription volume and a higher average pharmacy practice full-time equivalent; and they perceived lower implementation logistics barriers and a lower role of pharmacists regarding pediatric immunization. Multivariable logistic regression analysis indicated that implementation logistics is significantly associated with pharmacies offering pediatric immunization services after controlling for pharmacy/participant characteristics (p = 0.01). Therefore, ameliorating implementation logistics barriers should be considered when devising strategies to promote pediatric immunization services in community pharmacies.