BACKGROUND:
By administering vaccinations in the outpatient clinic of a community hospital, pharmacists may reduce the risk of vaccine-preventable diseases by improving vaccination rates in patients with chronic disease. This may also save time for primary care providers of targeted patients

OBJECTIVE:
To identify patients who are at increased risk for pneumonia and determine the need for a pneumococcal clinic
To evaluate the impact of the pharmacist-run clinic on influenza vaccination rates and physician time

METHOD:
Retrospective chart comparison between patients who received an influenza vaccine in the vaccination clinic (pharmacist-managed, n=48) and randomly selected medical charts (control group, n=47)

RESULT:
Of the 57 patients in the pharmacist-managed vaccination clinic, 48 medical charts were reviewed. In this group 38% of patients had diabetes and 10% of patients had heart disease, therefore at an increased risk for developing pneumonia. Of these 23 patients 65% had received the pneumococcal vaccine. Of the 47 randomly selected charts (control group) that were reviewed 32% of patients had diabetes and 10% of patients had heart disease. Therefore 20 patients in the control group were determined to be at an increased risk for developing pneumonia. In this group 70% had received the pneumococcal vaccine. Five hours of administrative time and 14 hours of allotted physician appointment time was saved.

CONCLUSION:
The pneumococcal vaccination rates of the patients who received an influenza vaccine from the pharmacist are lower than the rates of the randomly selected patients. Pharmacists who manage vaccination clinics are able to potentially improve patients’ vaccination status by assessing risk of disease and administering vaccines.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Identify patients who are at high risk for developing pneumonia.
Identify the role of the pharmacist in a vaccination clinic and their impact on reducing the risk of developing pneumonia and its complications.