Legislative changes to expand pharmacists’ roles, particularly during public health emergencies, are among the recommendations outlined in the new research published in the journal Qualitative Health Research.
The researchers also called for improved IT integration between pharmacies and the health system to facilitate the sharing of patient records.
The retrospective analysis of Ireland’s National COVID-19 Vaccination Programme involved stakeholder engagement, the review of 246 documents as well as interviews with eleven senior policy makers in the government and various parts of the health system.
Lead author Aaron Koay, who conducted the research while undertaking an MSc in Comparative Social Change in the School of Social Sciences and Philosophy in Trinity, explained:
“During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, community pharmacies became the epicentre of primary care in Ireland when most health services, including GPs, switched to remote care.
“However, unlike some other high-income countries, community pharmacies in Ireland were involved relatively late in the COVID-19 vaccination programme – four months after GPs were engaged. This delay was even more puzzling since community pharmacies in Ireland had been providing various vaccination services for almost a decade, including the annual flu vaccine.