Survey: Americans prefer pharmacy over physician when it comes to vaccines

IRVINE, Calif. — The majority of Americans prefer visiting their local pharmacy to get their inoculations, as opposed to visiting the doctor's office, according to  the PrescribeWellness 2017 Vaccination and Preventive Care Survey.



Of the 62% of survey respondents who chose pharmacy over practitioner, most of the reasons hinged upon convenience.



As many as 26% stated their pharmacy is a “one-stop shop” for many health and wellness needs. Another 24% reported their local pharmacy is easier to get to than the doctor’s office while 21% suggested  their local pharmacy is more convenient than visiting a doctor’s office when they have the kids with them.



Specifically regarding the shingles vaccine, as many as 89% think it is important to get immunized, the survey found.



The reasons are varied, acording to survey respondents. As many as 73% think the shingles vaccine is important because shingles is painful, and 56% gravitate toward the inoculation because shingles takes a long time to heal. Approximately 60% of consumers are concerned about shingles because the virus can lie dormant for decades and 48% because it often affects the elderly, who are often less capable of caring for themselves.



As many as 40% of Americans have been directly affected by the shingles epidemic in some way, the survey found, with 22% reporting a member of their family has had shingles; 14% reporting their spouse has suffered from shingles; and 12% having friends who have been impacted.



The survey, which was conducted by Propeller Insights on behalf of PrescribeWellness, interiewed 1,000 American adults over 35 and gauged Americans’ feelings about vaccination and neighborhood pharmacies.