The Evolving Role of Pharmacists as Vaccinators in New Zealand and Denmark
Author(s)
Amanda L. Eiden, MBA, MPH, PhD1, Anna Larson, MPH2, Isabel Musse, PhD3, Aimee Lansdale, MS3, Rachel Christine Mitrovich, DrPH4.
1Health Outcomes Research, Merck & Co., Inc., Philadelphia, PA, USA, 2Merck & Co., Inc, North Wales, PA, USA, 3Mathematica, Princeton, NJ, USA, 4Merck & Co., Inc, Boston, MA, USA.
1Health Outcomes Research, Merck & Co., Inc., Philadelphia, PA, USA, 2Merck & Co., Inc, North Wales, PA, USA, 3Mathematica, Princeton, NJ, USA, 4Merck & Co., Inc, Boston, MA, USA.
OBJECTIVES: The study objective was to examine trends in pharmacist-administered influenza vaccination in Denmark (2009-2019) and New Zealand (2015-2021) following policy changes in each country expanding access to pharmacy-administered vaccination.
METHODS: For Denmark, an interrupted time series (ITS) analysis was conducted using national surveillance data (2009-2019) to evaluate changes in influenza vaccination coverage rates (VCRs) following a 2015 policy authorizing pharmacist vaccination for at-risk groups. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to assess potential confounding. For New Zealand, national immunization data (2015-2021) was retrospectively analyzed to assess trends in the number and percentage of influenza vaccinations administered by provider type to adults aged ≥65 surrounding a funding policy change in 2017 making vaccination free to eligible consumers.
RESULTS: In Denmark, the percentage of influenza vaccinations administered by pharmacists grew from 0.3% in 2015 to 14.4% in 2019 among all individuals ≥15 years. Among older adults (≥65 years), influenza VCRs declined from 49.8% in 2009 to 43.9% in 2015, before increasing to 52.2% by 2019. ITS modeling showed the trend after the 2015 policy was significant for older adults, with annual mean VCR increases of 2.13 percentage points (p<.001). Sensitivity analysis results supported these findings and revealed greater changes in older adults compared to younger cohorts. In New Zealand, the total number of pharmacist-administered influenza vaccinations to older adults steadily increased from 8,462 in 2017 (when funding began) to 96,343 in 2021, with the percentage of vaccinations administered by pharmacists growing from 2.1% to 18.3% over this period.
CONCLUSIONS: Policies expanding pharmacist-administered vaccination were associated with increased influenza vaccine uptake in older adults in Denmark and New Zealand. These findings support pharmacist-administered vaccination as an effective strategy to improve adult vaccination rates and expanded policies could be useful for other vaccines including pneumococcal, RSV, HPV, and herpes zoster.
METHODS: For Denmark, an interrupted time series (ITS) analysis was conducted using national surveillance data (2009-2019) to evaluate changes in influenza vaccination coverage rates (VCRs) following a 2015 policy authorizing pharmacist vaccination for at-risk groups. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to assess potential confounding. For New Zealand, national immunization data (2015-2021) was retrospectively analyzed to assess trends in the number and percentage of influenza vaccinations administered by provider type to adults aged ≥65 surrounding a funding policy change in 2017 making vaccination free to eligible consumers.
RESULTS: In Denmark, the percentage of influenza vaccinations administered by pharmacists grew from 0.3% in 2015 to 14.4% in 2019 among all individuals ≥15 years. Among older adults (≥65 years), influenza VCRs declined from 49.8% in 2009 to 43.9% in 2015, before increasing to 52.2% by 2019. ITS modeling showed the trend after the 2015 policy was significant for older adults, with annual mean VCR increases of 2.13 percentage points (p<.001). Sensitivity analysis results supported these findings and revealed greater changes in older adults compared to younger cohorts. In New Zealand, the total number of pharmacist-administered influenza vaccinations to older adults steadily increased from 8,462 in 2017 (when funding began) to 96,343 in 2021, with the percentage of vaccinations administered by pharmacists growing from 2.1% to 18.3% over this period.
CONCLUSIONS: Policies expanding pharmacist-administered vaccination were associated with increased influenza vaccine uptake in older adults in Denmark and New Zealand. These findings support pharmacist-administered vaccination as an effective strategy to improve adult vaccination rates and expanded policies could be useful for other vaccines including pneumococcal, RSV, HPV, and herpes zoster.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2025-11, ISPOR Europe 2025, Glasgow, Scotland
Value in Health, Volume 28, Issue S2
Code
HSD107
Topic
Epidemiology & Public Health, Health Policy & Regulatory, Health Service Delivery & Process of Care
Disease
Vaccines