Pharmacists play big role in vaccination rates, acceptability in Asia-Pacific area, study finds

Pharmacists improve vaccination acceptability and rates in the Asia-Pacific region, according to a recent study published online in the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association. Research team members from UCI included John Szeto, who earned a bachelor’s degree in public health sciences in 2020; Anhthai Nguyen, a graduate student in human-computer interaction & design; and corresponding author Joyce Yu-Chia Lee, a clinical professor of health sciences and an advanced practicing pharmacist in the School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences. The Asia-Pacific area is the most populous in the world and experiences high rates of infectious diseases. “Although limited in number, our studies reported increased vaccination rates, similar to what has already been proven in the U.S., when involving pharmacists,” Lee said. “Their role in immunization advocacy and delivery in the Asia-Pacific region should be strongly supported as part of the worldwide fight against vaccine-preventable diseases.”