The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) extends thanks to the Australian Digital Health Agency for their support of the recent COVID-19 Roadshow Series.
In recent weeks, the PSA has conducted workshops across Australia's capital cities to provide pharmacists with the latest information on pharmacist-delivered COVID-19 vaccines and supporting patients with questions and addressing vaccine hesitancy.
Digital tools enabling better and safer care was a key feature of the conversation, including uploading to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR), efficient ways for viewing vaccine histories, including through the Clinical Vaccine Integrated Platform (CVIP).
Positive feedback was also received regarding improvements to My Health Record (MHR), whilst many showed a keen interest in the best ways to access safe and appropriate care.
"The information was so useful, I used it the very next day, as I was immunising patients for flu and encouraging them to book in for a COVID-19 vaccine!", noted one participant.
Mark Kinsela, PSA CEO, reflected on his experience at the roadshow and thanked the Agency for their support.
"It was pleasing to see such passion amongst PSA members. The willingness to get involved and desire to get the details right and focus on patient safety was evidenced across all states."
"This roadshow reiterated to us that pharmacists go above and beyond for their patients and appreciate the importance of providing expert advice."
"We were also pleased to see that our members are looking for ideas to improve their processes and workflow with systems like CVIP."
"From our observations, pharmacists are becoming increasingly concerned by the discrepancies in state legislation with regards to vaccination – particularly the artificial barriers preventing pharmacists in hospitals, general practice and aged care from administering COVID-19 vaccine."
"The PSA's ability to quickly customise our teachings in accordance with the regulation in each jurisdiction, demonstrates our versatility as a training provider and the evolution of Australia's COVID-19 vaccine strategy."
"We extend thanks to the Agency for supporting this workshop series and look forward to working with them on similar projects in the future."
