California Pharmacists’ and Pharmacy Technicians’ Opinions on Administration of Immunizations in Community Pharmacies by Pharmacy Technicians

Introduction/Purpose/Background Pharmacy technicians are prohibited from administering immunizations in California. This study sought to determine the opinions of California pharmacists and pharmacy technicians on the administration of immunizations in community pharmacies by pharmacy technicians. Methods A 26-item web-based survey using Qualtrics® was electronically administered to a sample of practicing pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in California. E-mails with a link to the survey were sent to the respondents, mostly through district managers for chain pharmacies (e.g., CVS, Rite Aid) and other means between June 2018 and September 2018. Results A total of 185 complete responses were received, composed mostly of pharmacists (n=123, 66.5%) and females (n=113, 61.1%) residing in Southern California (n=102, 55.1%). The majority of respondents believed that pharmacy technicians should be allowed to administer immunizations if they were provided adequate training (n=118, 63.8%), and that the administration of vaccinations by pharmacy technicians would benefit the pharmacy’s workflow (n=111, 60.0%). A majority agreed or strongly agreed that California should change the law to allow trained pharmacy technicians to administer immunizations to patients (n=101, 55.2%) but also noted that adding this responsibility would increase the pharmacists’ (n=131, 71.1%) and pharmacy technicians’ liability (n=140, 76.1). Pharmacy technicians’ opinions were significantly different to those of pharmacists on seven of the 13 items investigated (p<0.05). Conclusion Both pharmacists and pharmacy technicians supported the authorization of pharmacy technicians to administer immunizations. Both believed that pharmacy technicians’ assistance in administering immunizations would be beneficial.