Evaluation of a Pharmacist-Led COVID-19 Vaccination Program in a Hospital Setting

Abstract

Purpose: A pharmacist-led COVID-19 vaccination screening and administration tool was implemented at a tertiary care hospital in the Upper Midwest, allowing pharmacists to determine if an inpatient is a candidate for the COVID-19 vaccination. The purpose of this observational study was to examine the feasibility of a pharmacist-led, COVID-19 vaccination administration workflow to the inpatient population in a tertiary care hospital. Methods: This observational study was conducted at an Upper-Midwest facility and includes a study population of adult patients admitted to the hospital between 10/1/2021 - 1/1/2022. The primary outcome of this study was the number of COVID-19 vaccinations administered. Secondary outcomes included the number of attending physician approvals, pharmacist time dedicated to the vaccination program, patient demographics, and patient acceptance of vaccination. Group differences were evaluated using odds ratios, 95% confidence intervals, Pearson’s chi-square test, the Mann-Whitney U test, and multivariate logistic regression. Results: There were 715 patients eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccination. Of those, 23 (3.2%) patients received a COVID-19 vaccine while inpatient. After adjusting for sex at birth, age at admission, and length of hospital stay, compared to previously unvaccinated patients, those with their second dose due were 7.3 times more likely to have been given a vaccination (95% CI 1.3-42.1, P = 0.026), while patients with their booster due were 4 times more likely to have been given a vaccination (95% CI 1.3-12.3, P = 0.014). Conclusions: Although unvaccinated patients were successfully identified, only 23 were able to be vaccinated. Additional barriers need to be addressed to make this program successful.