Learning Objectives for this Presentation:
By the end of the presentation participants will be able to:
1. Identify characteristics of outsourced and in-house pharmacy-based vaccination services.
2. Describe various ways to schedule vaccination services and discuss their implications for patient care.


Background:
Pharmacy-based vaccination services can be provided using outsourced and in-house mechanisms. An outsourced service, compared to an in-house service, is more limited in terms of the frequency and variety of vaccines offered.

Objectives:
1. Identify the level of and trends in pharmacy-based outsourced and in-house vaccination services.
2. Compare outsourced and in-house services in terms of the frequency of services offered, type of vaccines, and average number of vaccine doses administered.


Methods:
Data were gathered from key informants of Washington State community pharmacies. In Stage I, mail surveys were sent to 1,143 pharmacies; 315 (27.6%) responded. Follow-up telephone calls were made with 262 randomly selected pharmacies; 211 (87.6%) responded. Results were then extrapolated to the general population. In Stage II, mail surveys were sent to all 526 Stage I respondents; 244 (46.9%) provided complete responses.

Results:
Stage I results show that, in 2002-03, nearly 40% used an outsourced mechanism while 20% used in-house mechanism. Stage II reveals that in 2003, of 73 outsourced service providers, about 60% offered the service on 1-2 days. In addition, 94% were limited to Influenza and/or Pneumococcal vaccines. Of 90 in-house service providers, 56.7% offered the service year-round. They made a variety of vaccines available: 28.6% offered two types, 47.6% offered at least three types of vaccines. For in-house providers, the mean number of doses of Influenza and Pneumococcal vaccines administered was 716 and 42, respectively, compared to 181 and 21 doses among outsourced service providers.

Conclusions:
Pharmacies can help traditional immunizers increase vaccination rates. An in-house mechanism should be encouraged because it allows for year-round availability and greater variety of vaccines.