On December 28, 2020, research of GMU Master in Clinical Pharmacy student Amal Abdalla along with Dr. Dixon Thomas, and Prof. Sherief Khalifa of College of Pharmacy, Gulf Medical University, UAE, and Dr. Kimberly McKeirnan, College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Washington State University, USA, was published. Title of the research is “fitness to administer influenza vaccine by pharmacists in the UAE”. This research was part of the strategic plan of the College to advance pharmacy practice in the country.
Adding immunizing pharmacists to the workforce has the potential to increase vaccination rates. Administering the flu vaccination in pharmacies has advantages, such as decreasing the patients’ waiting time. Community pharmacies are more accessible than many other healthcare facilities, and the patient can easily choose a nearby, non-crowded pharmacy in addition to the convenient 24-hour per day operating hours for some pharmacies.
The new United Arab Emirate (UAE) drug law permits pharmacists to administer medicines, including vaccines, after proper training. Pharmacists in many other countries have been successfully administering vaccinations for many years, but not in the UAE as per our knowledge. The question now is, “Are pharmacists trained for administering influenza vaccination?”
On March 06, 2020, Gulf Medical University (GMU), in collaboration with Washington State University (WSU), Spokane, USA, delivered an influenza vaccination training workshop for practicing pharmacists. GMU and WSU partner in this initiative through a signed MOU that includes collaboration in education, practice, and research.
The influenza vaccination training was a one-day event that included lecture sessions, hands-on training, and assessments. The learning sessions were a mix of live synchronous, face-to-face and hands-on from the WSU expert Dr. Kimberly McKeirnan, GMU’s Dr. Dixon Thomas. Licensed nurse Ms. Sija Binoy from GMU trained the participants on vaccine administration. Manikins were used to administer intramuscular injections of inactivated influenza vaccine. After the training, participants’ knowledge was assessed with validated MCQs with internal consistency, and vaccination skills were tested using OSCE as an assessment of learning.
The research findings were presented by Amal (GMU Master in Clinical Pharmacy student) at DUPHAT 2020 in poster and oral presentation formats. A full article on the findings is accepted for publication in the journal ‘Infectious Diseases in Clinical Practice”.
Vice Chancellor for Quality and Global Engagement and Dean of the College of Pharmacy, Prof. Sherief Khalifa commented: initiation of vaccination training for pharmacists is a milestone in advancing the scope of pharmacy practice in the country. We will be working closely with the country’s regulatory bodies to include vaccination as part of the services provided by trained pharmacists. This is in line with the new regulations governing the pharmacy profession in the UAE.