Immunizations at Wisconsin Pharmacies: Results of a statewide vaccine registry analysis and pharmacist survey

BackgroundThere is currently limited data in the United States on the proportion of immunization doses given at pharmacies outside the influenza vaccine. This study aims to obtain baseline information on the percentage of vaccine doses administered at pharmacies in Wisconsin and to understand the immunization barriers for Wisconsin pharmacists, to inform interventions to increase immunization access at pharmacies.MethodsAggregated data from the Wisconsin Immunization Registry (WIR) was obtained for all vaccines administered at pharmacies to patients over the age of six from July 2017 through June 2018. In addition, a survey on attitudes towards and barriers to vaccination was sent to 2000 Wisconsin pharmacists with 236 respondents yielding a 12% response rate.ResultsWIR data demonstrates that zoster and influenza vaccines have the highest proportion of doses administered at pharmacies (39% and 20%, respectively). Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines have the lowest proportion of doses at 0.2%. Pharmacy survey shows that 86% provide immunizations. Most stock influenza vaccines (84%), whereas much fewer stock HPV vaccines (21%). The greatest immunization barriers for the pharmacy respondents include billing and reimbursement challenges and competing demands for staff.ConclusionsDespite the barriers, community pharmacies have significant potential to address vaccination gaps. Physicians, patients, and legislative bodies are generally well-accepting of pharmacists as immunizers. Pharmacists, in order to be fully utilized as immunizers, must engage in active communication with patients and be willing to collaborate with physicians. Legislative policy and health insurance reimbursement reforms are also necessary to facilitate further pharmacist participation in immunization.     

Access to artemisinin-based combination therapies and other anti-malarial drugs in Kinshasa

Objective

Artemisinin-based combination therapies have been available since 2005 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to treat malaria and to overcome the challenge of anti-malarial drug resistance as well as to improve access to effective treatments. The private sector is the primary distribution source for anti-malarial drugs and thus, has a key position among the supply chain actors for a rational and proper use of anti-malarial drugs. We aimed to assess access to nationally recommended anti-malarial drugs in private sector pharmacies of the capital-city of Kinshasa.

Is crime associated with over-the-counter pharmacy syringe sales? Findings from Los Angeles,California

BackgroundMore than 50,000 new HIV infections occur annually in the United States. Injection drug users represent twelve percent of incident HIV infections each year. Pharmacy sales of over-the-counter (OTC) syringes have helped prevent HIV transmission among injection drug users in many states throughout the United States. However, concerns exist among some law enforcement officials, policymakers, pharmacists, and community members about potential links between OTC syringe sales and crime.MethodsWe used a geographic information system and novel spatial and longitudinal analyses to determine whether implementation of pharmacy-based OTC syringe sales were associated with reported crime between January 2006 and December 2008 in Los Angeles Police Department Reporting Districts. We assessed reported crime pre- and post-OTC syringe sales initiation as well as longitudinal associations between crime and OTC syringe-selling pharmacies.ResultsBy December 2008, 9.3% (94/1010) of Los Angeles Police Department Reporting Districts had at least one OTC syringe-selling pharmacy. Overall reported crime counts and reported crime rates decreased between 2006 and 2008 in all 1010 Reporting Districts. Using generalized estimating equations and adjusting for potential confounders, reported crime rates were negatively associated with OTC syringe sales (adjusted rate ratio: 0.89; 95% confidence interval: 0.81, 0.99).ConclusionOur findings demonstrate that OTC pharmacy syringe sales were not associated with increases in reported crime in local communities in Los Angeles during 2006–2008.     

Male access to emergency contraception in pharmacies: a mystery shopper survey

Background

Pharmacy access to emergency contraception (EC) could involve men in pregnancy prevention. The objectives were to assess the availability and cost of EC.

Study Design

Male mystery shoppers visited 158 pharmacies in three neighborhoods in New York City. They asked for EC and its cost and noted weekend hours.

Results

Twenty-two (73.3%) of 30 pharmacies created barriers to get EC. The cost of EC was higher in the higher-socioeconomic status (SES) neighborhood (p<.001), and the higher-SES neighborhood pharmacies had a greater number of weekend hours (p<.001).

Conclusions

Overall, males had a 20% probability of not being able to access EC. The national dialogue should include males.     

Quality control in therapeutic drug monitoring

Quality control of routine drug assays, like most immunoassays, should mainly be the responsibility of each individual laboratory: intra-laboratory quality control. External quality assessment should direct its efforts in particular to non-routine methods and to new assays. However, it may sometimes also be very useful to have laboratory results of routine assays studied in external programmes, since vague requests or difficult interpretations of drug concentrations need discussion outside the individual laboratory.     

Do prescribed drugs always follow the patients to hospital?

The reliability was measured with which out-patient medications were identified at the time of a patient's admission to a Dutch hospital. The hospital-pharmacy records and the community-pharmacy records of 205 patients have been reviewed with the help of an expert panel. We established that 15 inadvertent drug discontinuations of a serious nature occurred among 12 patients. While the results are not necessarily representative of the overall Dutch situation, they indicate errors that can be reduced. Improvement is suggested by transmission of computerized data from the community pharmacy to the hospital whenever a patient is admitted and agrees with this transmission.