Vaccination on horizon
December 9, 2013
The Pharmacy Board of Australia
has formally acknowledged
work on pharmacist vaccination
undertaken by the Advanced
Practice Framework Steering
Committee, with chairman Stephen
Marty confirming that in the
Board’s opinion “vaccination is
within the current scope of practice
of a pharmacist”.
However according to a
communiqué issued following the
Board’s most recent meeting late
last month, further work will be
required before pharmacists are
able to undertake vaccinations.
This would include a range of
areas including competence to
vaccinate, standards, training and
where such vaccinations may take
place, the Board said.
The move has been endorsed
by both the Pharmacy Guild and
the Pharmaceutical Society, with
PSA National President Grant
Kardachi saying the decision “brings
Australia into line with international
practice”.
He said it opens the way for the
wider delivery of immunisation
services through community
pharmacies.
“We have seen already from
international experience that
consumers see great value
in pharmacists providing
immunisation services.
“These services have been
shown to fill gaps in coverage and
complement those provided by
doctors, with international studies
finding that the people who use
pharmacy vaccination services
would otherwise normally not be
immunised because they would
not go to a doctor or other health
professional for a vaccination,”
Kardachi added.
The PSA has already issued
guidelines for providing
immunisation services, with a view
to promoting best practice.
“These new guidelines
promote specific policies and
protocols designed to ensure
safe and effective channels
of communication between
healthcare providers.”
The Guild says the Board decision
paves the way for further work to
be done “to bring Australia in line
with the majority of comparable
countries where health systems
benefit from the capacity of
pharmacists to vaccinate patients.”
“There is real potential for
pharmacist vaccinations to
supplement the existing provision
of vaccinations – enhancing
the preventive health care role
of Australia’s 5300 community
pharmacies,” the Guild said.
CLICK HERE to download the PSA
immunisation guidelines.
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