Pharmacy key to tackling vax hesitancy

PHARAMCISTS have a crucial role to play in supporting patients to overcome vaccine hesitancy and avail of immunisation services, International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) President, Dominique Jordan, believes.

Addressing the issue of hesitancy in FIP’s Building vaccine confidence and communicating vaccine value: A toolkit for pharmacists, Jordan noted that vaccine hesitancy is one of the “top 10 threats to global health”.

“This publication will address common reasons why patients are hesitant to receive vaccines, essential vaccine knowledge that pharmacists should possess, communication approaches pharmacists can take to address a hesitant patient and strategies for developing successful pharmacy-led immunisation campaigns,” he said.

“This will support the profession in ways to tackle vaccine hesitancy through understanding the factors that impact hesitancy, and support the increased uptake.”