Overview

Abstract (English)

Uptake of influenza vaccination in Canada continues to be suboptimal; accessibility may play a role. Legislation permitting the administration of influenza vaccines by pharmacists has been adopted in several provinces. This study aims to determine the impact of allowing pharmacists to provide influenza vaccines on uptake in Canada. We pooled data from the 2007-2013 cycles of the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS). To determine the impact of the initiation of a provincial pharmacist influenza vaccination policy on individual-level vaccine uptake, we used a modified Poisson regression model with normalized weights to estimate the prevalence ratio (PR), while controlling for health behaviours and sociodemographic factors. Overall, 28.3% of respondents reported receiving a seasonal influenza vaccine in the year before their participation in the CCHS. The overall adjusted PR for individuals living in provinces with a pharmacist influenza vaccination policy was 1.08. Influenza vaccination was strongly associated with age, sex, ethnicity, marital status, education, income, having a chronic medical condition, smoking, self-reported health status, body mass index, having a regular doctor, living in an urban area and living in a province with a universal influenza vaccination policy, as well as province and season. Influenza vaccine uptake decreased over the study period, but was better maintained in provinces where pharmacists could provide influenza vaccination. The prevalence of influenza vaccination uptake appeared higher where pharmacists were allowed to administer influenza vaccines. By increasing access, allowing pharmacist vaccination may be one method to increase influenza vaccination in a population.

Abstract (French)

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