From the next vaccination campaign, pharmacists will be able to vaccinate adults, except pregnant women and first-time vaccines.
“Your pharmacist vaccinates you against the flu”, “Here we vaccinate” … Next fall, your pharmacy window could display one of these slogans. In its latest opinion, the High Council for Public Health (HCSP) recommends, in fact, pharmacists authorized to vaccinate against influenza to be “identifiable by the public”.
Two regions of the metropolis were chosen to experiment with vaccination in pharmacies: Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Nearly 4,000 professionals are willing to participate in this 3-year experiment.
After a day of training including a theoretical and practical part, the volunteers will be able to vaccinate adults aged 18 and over who have already been vaccinated once against seasonal influenza. On the other hand, pharmacists will not be able to vaccinate pregnant women or immunocompromised patients who should be invited to consult their doctor.
For the HCSP, the eligibility criteria for influenza vaccination by pharmacists should align with those for nurses. The latter should also have the right to vaccinate the first-time vaccinated, experts say.
New skills
Before each injection, pharmacists must have patients sign an informed consent. After administration of the vaccine, pharmacists should keep the person under observation for at least 15 minutes. A non-compulsory precaution for doctors or pharmacists. The whole procedure should take place in a dedicated room.
For each person vaccinated with a prescription, the dispensary will receive 4.50 euros. If the patient has received a free cover from Health Insurance, either over 65s or people with long-term illnesses (ALD), she will receive 6.30 euros. In addition, from 5 vaccinations, 100 euros will be paid.
If the trade unions and institutional organizations welcomed this progress for pharmacists, they plan to ask the new government for an evolution of the experiment. In particular, they want to expand the number of pilot regions or expand the target population.
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