CONVENIENCE is the main factor behind patients' deciding to go to a pharmacy for an influenza vaccine, research from the University of NSW reveals.
Based on an online survey of 745 Australians who reported receiving a flu vaccine in 2019, 13% got the jab in a pharmacy, with 52% of those reporting that the convenience of getting to the pharmacy was the main reason behind their decision.
Cost was the second biggest factor driving patients to pharmacies or other vaccination sites, with 26.3% saying "the vaccine was cheap at this provider", while 5.3% said their employer was willing to reimburse them.
The third biggest reason for people turning to pharmacies to get the flu jab was that they "needed to have the vaccination done quickly" (12.6%).
The survey found that 73% of respondents were vaccinated at a medical centre, with a further 14% receiving a jab through a workplace clinic.
The authors noted that the proportion of patients receiving the flu jab for the first time in a pharmacy was marginally higher than in medical settings, however, they said the difference across all sites was not statistically significant.
"Regardless of whether pharmacy vaccination significantly impacts vaccine coverage, it may make it faster, cheaper and easier to get vaccinated," they said.
"Several participants stated that they were vaccinated in a pharmacy because they needed it done quickly due to travel or surgery, and they could get it done quicker in a pharmacy than at their doctor's office.
"Other surveys in Australia and abroad have found both cost and convenience to be common reasons for getting the influenza vaccine in pharmacy."
The study was published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health.
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