The rollout of the free flu vaccination program in many parts of the country this month has seen a surge in demand for the vaccines in the community.
While a surge in demand is expected it can put extra pressure on pharmacy staff – pharmacists and pharmacy assistants.
To support pharmacies in managing the safe and efficient delivery of vaccinations to their communities, Pharmaceutical Defence Limited (PDL) has released the following tips.
Key points when dealing with vaccine requests
- Make sure to have sufficient staff to manage demand.
- To reduce service demand, consider separating Covid-19 vaccines and flu vaccines to different days.
- To minimise errors, make sure to verbally confirm the expected vaccine with the customer using open-ended questions: “As part of my checking process, please confirm, which vaccine you expect to receive today?”
- Always check the AIR before vaccinating every individual.
- Follow ATAGI guidance as willful disregard for guidelines may leave a pharmacist at risk if an incident occurs or a complaint is received.
- Make sure to check the age of the patient prior to vaccination.
- Since fewer Covid-19 vaccines are being administered currently, double-check the dilution volumes and dose volumes when preparing the vaccines for administration.
- The additional “winter” Covid-19 booster dose can be given to certain people from 4 months after the first Covid-19 booster dose. For people who had had a confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection (by PCR or RAT) after receiving their first booster dose, the additional dose should be given from 3 months after the confirmed infection, as infection has been shown to boost immunity.
For anyone requesting further support or advice during this time, call PDL on 1300 854 838 or visit, pdl.org.au
