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regulation state and territory by state and territory, has led to a rapid rise in the adoption of vaccination services in community pharmacies. However, with this in-demand service offering come specific challenges for pharmacy owners and management, including appropriate facilities, staffing, training and general process flow management. Unprecedented demand for flu vaccines in pharmacy in 2020 highlights the importance of flu vaccinations as we approach the 2021 flu season. A record 18 million flu vaccines were available in 2020, which was up from 13.2 million flu vaccines in 2019, in response to the existing demand along with greater attention due to the Covid-19 outbreak, placing health as a priority and prompting patients to seek out flu vaccinations in record numbers.2 Both flu and Covid-19 cause serious respiratory illness. While flu vaccination doesn’t prevent Covid-19 infection, it is still critical in protecting against flu, which causes more than 650,000 deaths worldwide every year.3 Both flu and Covid-19 can be life threatening, especially for vulnerable people. This year, flu vaccinations remain as important as ever, and the role of the pharmacist, as one of the most accessible and trusted healthcare professionals, remains critical in both educating patients and raising community awareness, as pharmacies continue to highlight the importance of getting the flu vaccination to help protect individuals and our community. This is definitely a busy year for vaccinations, with the Covid-19 vaccine available in selected pharmacies from this month (May). However, pharmacists must ensure that patients aren’t given a flu vaccine within 14 days of either of the available Covid-19 vaccines.4 As a result, being organised for the flu vaccination peak season is critical to ensure the most efficient use of your pharmacy’s clinic room(s) and other resources. Pharmacists may now vaccinate patients over 10 years of age in all states and territories, leading to greater demand than ever before.5 However, children under 16 may need a parent/ legal guardian to provide consent to vaccinate, and accompany the child into the vaccination room, so this further adds CPD ACTIVITY 47 to workflow considerations. Please check your relevant state or territory legislation for precise details. What should a community pharmacy be aiming for with vaccinations? Here are some suggestions: 1. To improve general vaccination rates in the community. 2. To help prevent people from being hospitalised or dying from the flu and its complications. 3. To utilise the opportunity to offer other vaccinations as relevant and appropriate (according to your jurisdictional legislation) or pharmacy services. 4. To initiate discussion around Covid-19 vaccination and prepare for this service (if delivered in-store). Change management Vaccinations are unique in terms of a pharmacy services offering: the flu vaccine variants change, there is often uncertainty around availability, particularly at the beginning of each season, and there are ongoing changes to state/ territory regulations involving elements TO PAGE 48 Vaccine & Pharmacy Refrigerators Superior Performance – Vaccines and refrigerated medicines can be securely stored between +2oC and +8oC. Quality – Quality Care Pharmacy Program compliant and purpose-built to meet the stringent standards needed by your pharmacy. Reliability – Factory tested to IEC 60068-3-5 for optimal temperature stability and consistency. Safety – Integrated data memory logs min/max temperature, audible/visual alarms alert users of temperature breaches and locks to protect against unauthorised access. Energy Efficient – Energy consumption is low which means you enjoy significant running cost savings. Quality, Design and Innovation andico.com.au/products/liebherr-biomedical RETAIL PHARMACY • MAY 2021