(71) Immunization Administration Training for African Pharmacists and Student Pharmacists

Objective : The objective of this research is to describe published literature regarding immunization administration training for pharmacists and student pharmacists in Africa.

Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted utilizing methods from the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyzes (PRISMA) reporting guidelines. Literature databases searched included PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Web of Science, Embase, and Medline.

Results: Nine-hundred and forty articles were identified from six databases and grey literature. After eligibility criteria were applied, a total of eight studies from seven African countries were included, representing Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. Only three studies described immunization administration training programs for pharmacists and one described training for student pharmacists. Studies identified that the limited educational opportunities may be related to the content covered in a Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm) degree, which is the most commonly available degree in the pharmacy field in Africa. However, several studies identified that there is potential in addressing vaccination gaps in low- and lower-middle-income countries through training pharmacists to immunize.

Conclusions: There are limited publications describing immunization training available to pharmacists and student pharmacists in Africa. Immunizing pharmacists could make a meaningful impact on immunization access in Africa, but more opportunities for training are needed.