PHARMACISTS are being encouraged to review promotional material to encourage better uptake of any potential COVID vaccine or seasonal shots, an international aged care leader believes.
Addressing an International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) webinar last night, International Federation on Ageing (IFA) Secretary General, Jane Barratt, voiced concerns about the messages being used by health professionals when communicating with older patients.
Barratt told the webinar terms encouraging elderly people to "be careful", "stay indoors", "social distance" and "cocooning" were instilling fear and anxiety in their target audience.
"Ageism has been brutally exposed in the COVID pandemic," she said.
"So in our messaging to encourage people to be vaccinated, not only against COVID, but against seasonal influenza, pneumococcal, pneumonia and shingles, the messages need to be very clear.
"I call on pharmacists to really have a look at the kinds of messaging and promotional material you're using to encourage people to be vaccinated."
Barratt also flagged concerns about vaccine uptake levels among healthcare workers as another issue that needs to be addressed as part of efforts to boost global immunisation rates.
"We know the rates of vaccination in healthcare workers in many countries is extremely low," she said.
"So while we stand forward and demand that governments make greater investments [in vaccine programs]...we also have to take personal responsibility and ensure we are the trusted sources, because we actually believe in vaccination [and have been immunised]."
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