Student pharmacist immunization education and impact on adolescent and adult immunization

Background: Several studies suggest that the distribution of written vaccination information is largely ineffective in changing attitudes and increasing knowledge in patients, while direct patient counseling and media productions are shown to be effective. The role of student pharmacists in educating patients on immunizations has not been clearly established. This study aims to describe the impact of a verbal educational intervention about vaccines given by student pharmacists on patient knowledge and attitudes toward future immunization as well as elucidating barriers to immunization. Methods: A pre-post survey with an educational intervention on immunization by a student-pharmacist will be employed in this study. Baseline results on immunization knowledge and attitudes from the pre-survey will be compared to the results of the post-survey and analyzed for statistical significance. The study will be conducted at free healthcare and immunization clinics in Vallejo and Berkeley California. Demographic data will be collected and used to describe the study population. Spanish speakers and Spanish-translated surveys are incorporated into the study design. Results: The study population is highly diverse and predominantly of low socioeconomic status. The educational intervention delivered by a student pharmacist has the capacity to significantly improve patient knowledge and positive attitudes toward future immunizations. Conclusion: Providing consultation is a key duty of pharmacists. The results of this study will provide evidence supporting patient education on immunization by student pharmacists, and thus reaffirm the importance of pharmacists' role in primary care and disease prevention.