Pharmacists to be vaccinators, educators

NEW YORK —While residents of the Southern Hemisphere begin to bask in the warmth of spring, their counterparts here up north are entering the colder parts of the year, and along with that, the flu season. Adding to the usual problem of seasonal flu is the A-H1N1 swine flu, which the World Health Organization earlier this year declared the first pandemic flu since 1968.

As supplies of H1N1 vaccine have begun percolating into various states, pharmacists have prepared themselves for the flood of sick and worried patients, including parents feeling skittish about whether or not to vaccinate their children.

“A pharmacist in the healthcare community is an expert on medications and an expert on vaccines, and should be looked at by parents as a source of information and education so that they’re better able to make health-care decisions for themselves and their families,” National Association of Chain Drug Stores SVP pharmacy and NACDS Foundation president Edith Rosato told Drug Store News.

According to a poll by the Associated Press, one-third of parents are against getting their children vaccinated. The poll follows rumors that surfaced last year that flu vaccines would cause autism in children.

“Whenever there’s a new prescription drug product, there’s probably a certain amount of apprehension,” Rosato said. “People tend to talk, and a lot of times, parents get opinions by word of mouth.”

Pharmacists can deliver vaccinations throughout the country, and though regulations vary from state to state, most can give flu vaccinations, Rosato said. But they also can educate patients about proper use of such medications as antibiotics. A lot of patients have a habit of taking antibiotics to treat such viral infections as cold and flu, a practice that has been blamed for the rise of such antibiotic-resistant “super-bugs” as MRSA, a deadly strain of staphylococcus. According to the WHO, about 50% of antibiotics used are unnecessary or overused.

In response, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched its Get Smart About Antibiotics Week, which took place Oct. 5 to Oct. 11, and included a campaign of print and broadcast ads and an effort to recruit pharmacists. “This is a very important campaign and really presents a wonderful opportunity for pharmacists in the community,” Rosato said.

Some retail pharmacies long have sought to educate patients on proper use of antibiotics. “In our pharmacies, you’ll see pharmacists not recommending the use of antibiotics, and also not particularly recommending the use of antivirals unless [patients] have more severe symptoms,” Aurora Pharmacy pharmacist Sarah Ray told Drug Store News.

Aurora Pharmacy, part of the Milwaukee-based nonprofit Aurora Health Care system, also has launched an educational campaign about flu, including the informational Web site www.aurora.org/flu. “I think pharmacists are in a good position to educate patients, and that we can be a player, whether we are giving the vaccine or supporting our healthcare providers in terms of educating patients,” Ray said.