28 May Evaluation of the Victorian Pharmacist-Administered Vaccination Program
The Victorian Pharmacist-Administered Vaccination Program (VPAV) delivers opportunistic immunisation and improved access to vaccinations for people who are most at risk of complications from some preventable diseases. HealthConsult was commissioned to assess the accessibility, quality and safety, workforce impact, effectiveness and sustainability of the VPAV.
A mixed-method design was used which was comprehensively described in a co-designed evaluation framework. A range of primary and secondary data was utilised. Key primary data sources included: consumer, pharmacists and pharmacy owner surveys; and semi-structured interviews at 18 case study sites and with other key stakeholder groups. Secondary data included pharmacy system extracts, government vaccine distribution data, adverse event and cold-chain breach data and Australian Immunisation Registry data. Ethics approval was obtained.
VPAV was found to have improved access to vaccinations, improved consumers health outcomes, increased workforce capacity and improved work satisfaction of the pharmacist immuniser workforce. In particular, the evaluation found that the VPAV reduced and avoided disease burden associated with influenza and pertussis.