Patient Perceptions on Receiving Vaccination Services through Community Pharmacies

Abstract

(1) Introduction: Pharmacists are medical professionals who play an active role in the protection of public health. Since 2021, pharmacists with an appropriate certification have been au-thorised to administer vaccines against COVID‐19. (2) Objective: The objective of this study was to ascertain the perceptions of patients about receiving vaccinations through community pharmacies. (3) Material and methods: This study was conducted in 2021. The research tool was an anonymous questionnaire published on the websites of patient organisations. Ultimately, 1062 patients partici-pated in this study. (4) Results: This study shows that most of the respondents find community pharmacies more accessible than outpatient clinics (85.3%). Sixty‐one percent of the respondents stated that getting vaccinated at pharmacies would be less time consuming than at outpatient clin-ics. Nearly every third respondent (29.5%) declared that they would get vaccinated if they received such a recommendation from a pharmacist. Fifty‐six percent of the respondents were of the opinion that the administration of vaccines by pharmacists would relieve the burden on medical staff and the healthcare system. (5) Conclusions: Polish patients participating in the study have a positive attitude towards the implementation of vaccination services in community pharmacies as an effective way of combating infectious diseases.