Pharmacy Daily | Vaccination

The Pharmacy Guild has welcomed the recent finding of the Pharmacy Board of Australia that vaccination is within the current scope of practice of pharmacists. This 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. Board Chairman Stephen Marty noted that further work around competencies, standards, training and where vaccination may take place will need to be completed before pharmacists will be able to vaccinate. The Guild supports the development of standards and training programs to achieve this end. The intention is to add value to the health system by complementing the existing provision of vaccinations by doctors to at risk patients. There are many healthy Australian adults who opt not to have influenza vaccinations because of the inconvenience of attending a doctor’s surgery. 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. Community pharmacies are the most accessible healthcare professionals and so we are a natural destination for the delivery of vital immunisation services.

---

The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 10 Dec 13
To see the full newsletter, see the embedded issue below or CLICK HERE to download Pharmacy Daily from 10 Dec 13