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Background: Approximately 50,000 adults die annually from vaccine-preventable diseases in the United States. Although childhood rates of vaccination are relatively high, most adults are not vaccinated as recommended, leaving them vulnerable to illness and death. While most traditional clinic-based providers administer vaccinations during routine business hours, community pharmacies offer expanded hours that allow patients to receive vaccinations at more convenient times.
Objectives: To examine patient populations receiving vaccinations during off-clinic hours in a national community pharmacy and its implications for increasing patient access and convenience.
Methods: All claims for vaccinations administered at a national community pharmacy from August 2010 to July 2011 were analyzed. The time of vaccination was categorized as routine (9am to 6pm weekdays) or off-hours, consisting of weekdays 6pm to 9am, weekends, and federal holidays. Demographic characteristics were described.
Results: During the study period, there were 6.3 million vaccinations administered at the pharmacy to patients with a median age of 62; of these 92.1% were for influenza and 7.9% were for other vaccine-preventable diseases such as pneumonia, shingles, and meningitis. Approximately 31.7% of all vaccinations were provided during off-hours: weekends (56.1%), evenings (34.6%), and holidays (9.3%). Of the 44.2% of patients over 64 years of age and the 53.0% who were 18-64 years, 25.4% and 37.1%, respectively, received vaccination during off-hours.
Conclusions: Results demonstrate that a large proportion of community pharmacy patients receive vaccinations during evening, weekend, and holiday hours when traditional vaccine providers are unavailable. Nearly half of the patients vaccinated were seniors with a quarter of those visiting during off-clinic hours, likely for convenience. Lastly, more than half of the vaccine recipients were of working age with nearly a third getting vaccinated during off-clinic hours, potentially minimizing disruptions in work schedules and ultimately decreasing illness, absenteeism, and presenteeism.