Pharmacist's Perspectives on Administering a COVID-19 Vaccine in Community Pharmacies in Four Balkan Countries
Authors
Turcu-Stiolica, AdinaKamusheva, Maria

Bogdan, Maria
Tadić, Ivana

Harasani, Klejda
Subtirelu, Mihaela-Simona
Meca, Andreea-Daniela
Šesto, Sofia
Odalović, Marina

Arsić, Jasmina
Stojkov, Svetlana
Terzieva, Emili
Petrova, Guenka

Article (Published version)
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Community pharmacists expanded their roles and engaged in vaccination services in many countries around the world, but not in Balkan countries. This research aimed to assess the perceptions of pharmacists on involvement in the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine administration in four Balkan countries (Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, and Serbia). A cross-sectional survey was conducted using an online questionnaire that was distributed to community pharmacists across these countries between February and March 2021. A total of 636 community pharmacists were included in the analysis of the survey. The willingness to administer vaccines for COVID-19 (or other vaccines well established in the practice, like a flu vaccine) in community pharmacies is significantly different among the countries: the pharmacists from Albania were more willing to administer vaccines. The factors associated with the eagerness to vaccinate are almost the same among the countries: the lack of training in the faculty... classes and the lack of a special place where to administer vaccines. Additional significant factors were found in Bulgaria (pharmacists from independent pharmacies wanted more than the pharmacists working in chain pharmacies to administer vaccines) and in Serbia (male pharmacists agreed more with administering vaccines than female pharmacists). Further national reforms are needed for adopting the expanding role of community pharmacists.
Keywords:
COVID-19 / community pharmacy / Balkan countries / pharmacists / training / vaccinationSource:
Frontiers in Public Health, 2021, 9Publisher:
- Frontiers Media S.A.
Funding / projects:
DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.766146
ISSN: 2296-2565
WoS: 000728933800001
Scopus: 2-s2.0-85120872627
Collections
Institution/Community
PharmacyTY - JOUR AU - Turcu-Stiolica, Adina AU - Kamusheva, Maria AU - Bogdan, Maria AU - Tadić, Ivana AU - Harasani, Klejda AU - Subtirelu, Mihaela-Simona AU - Meca, Andreea-Daniela AU - Šesto, Sofia AU - Odalović, Marina AU - Arsić, Jasmina AU - Stojkov, Svetlana AU - Terzieva, Emili AU - Petrova, Guenka PY - 2021 UR - https://farfar.pharmacy.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/4007 AB - Community pharmacists expanded their roles and engaged in vaccination services in many countries around the world, but not in Balkan countries. This research aimed to assess the perceptions of pharmacists on involvement in the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine administration in four Balkan countries (Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, and Serbia). A cross-sectional survey was conducted using an online questionnaire that was distributed to community pharmacists across these countries between February and March 2021. A total of 636 community pharmacists were included in the analysis of the survey. The willingness to administer vaccines for COVID-19 (or other vaccines well established in the practice, like a flu vaccine) in community pharmacies is significantly different among the countries: the pharmacists from Albania were more willing to administer vaccines. The factors associated with the eagerness to vaccinate are almost the same among the countries: the lack of training in the faculty classes and the lack of a special place where to administer vaccines. Additional significant factors were found in Bulgaria (pharmacists from independent pharmacies wanted more than the pharmacists working in chain pharmacies to administer vaccines) and in Serbia (male pharmacists agreed more with administering vaccines than female pharmacists). Further national reforms are needed for adopting the expanding role of community pharmacists. PB - Frontiers Media S.A. T2 - Frontiers in Public Health T1 - Pharmacist's Perspectives on Administering a COVID-19 Vaccine in Community Pharmacies in Four Balkan Countries VL - 9 DO - 10.3389/fpubh.2021.766146 ER -
@article{ author = "Turcu-Stiolica, Adina and Kamusheva, Maria and Bogdan, Maria and Tadić, Ivana and Harasani, Klejda and Subtirelu, Mihaela-Simona and Meca, Andreea-Daniela and Šesto, Sofia and Odalović, Marina and Arsić, Jasmina and Stojkov, Svetlana and Terzieva, Emili and Petrova, Guenka", year = "2021", abstract = "Community pharmacists expanded their roles and engaged in vaccination services in many countries around the world, but not in Balkan countries. This research aimed to assess the perceptions of pharmacists on involvement in the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine administration in four Balkan countries (Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, and Serbia). A cross-sectional survey was conducted using an online questionnaire that was distributed to community pharmacists across these countries between February and March 2021. A total of 636 community pharmacists were included in the analysis of the survey. The willingness to administer vaccines for COVID-19 (or other vaccines well established in the practice, like a flu vaccine) in community pharmacies is significantly different among the countries: the pharmacists from Albania were more willing to administer vaccines. The factors associated with the eagerness to vaccinate are almost the same among the countries: the lack of training in the faculty classes and the lack of a special place where to administer vaccines. Additional significant factors were found in Bulgaria (pharmacists from independent pharmacies wanted more than the pharmacists working in chain pharmacies to administer vaccines) and in Serbia (male pharmacists agreed more with administering vaccines than female pharmacists). Further national reforms are needed for adopting the expanding role of community pharmacists.", publisher = "Frontiers Media S.A.", journal = "Frontiers in Public Health", title = "Pharmacist's Perspectives on Administering a COVID-19 Vaccine in Community Pharmacies in Four Balkan Countries", volume = "9", doi = "10.3389/fpubh.2021.766146" }
Turcu-Stiolica, A., Kamusheva, M., Bogdan, M., Tadić, I., Harasani, K., Subtirelu, M., Meca, A., Šesto, S., Odalović, M., Arsić, J., Stojkov, S., Terzieva, E.,& Petrova, G.. (2021). Pharmacist's Perspectives on Administering a COVID-19 Vaccine in Community Pharmacies in Four Balkan Countries. in Frontiers in Public Health Frontiers Media S.A.., 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.766146
Turcu-Stiolica A, Kamusheva M, Bogdan M, Tadić I, Harasani K, Subtirelu M, Meca A, Šesto S, Odalović M, Arsić J, Stojkov S, Terzieva E, Petrova G. Pharmacist's Perspectives on Administering a COVID-19 Vaccine in Community Pharmacies in Four Balkan Countries. in Frontiers in Public Health. 2021;9. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2021.766146 .
Turcu-Stiolica, Adina, Kamusheva, Maria, Bogdan, Maria, Tadić, Ivana, Harasani, Klejda, Subtirelu, Mihaela-Simona, Meca, Andreea-Daniela, Šesto, Sofia, Odalović, Marina, Arsić, Jasmina, Stojkov, Svetlana, Terzieva, Emili, Petrova, Guenka, "Pharmacist's Perspectives on Administering a COVID-19 Vaccine in Community Pharmacies in Four Balkan Countries" in Frontiers in Public Health, 9 (2021), https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.766146 . .