Perspectives of healthcare professionals on the pharmacist’s role in delivering vaccinations for patients with cancer: a qualitative study using role theory
Johnstone, Kristoffer, Cooper, Joyce, Smithson, John, and Glass, Beverley (2025) Perspectives of healthcare professionals on the pharmacist’s role in delivering vaccinations for patients with cancer: a qualitative study using role theory. International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy, 47. pp. 1760-1769.
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Abstract
Background: Vaccination rates for influenza and pneumococcal disease globally remain below targets for patients with cancer. Pharmacists already provide vaccinations in the community, highlighting an opportunity to bridge the gap by expanding hospital pharmacists scope of practice to deliver vaccinations in outpatient oncology settings. Aim: To explore the perceptions of multidisciplinary healthcare professionals (HCPs) for the potential expansion of pharmacists’ role to include a vaccination clinic for patients undergoing cancer treatment. Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nurses, doctors, and pharmacists who were purposively sampled. Data analysis used a deductive coding approach, with data themed against the constructs of Role Theory: ambiguity, conflict, overload, identity, overqualification and underqualification. Results: Nineteen HCPs (6 nurses, 6 doctors, 7 pharmacists) participated. Participants identified the need for improved vaccination delivery, but considered this service not currently part of core business in the outpatient oncology setting. Role ambiguity was identified regarding which clinicians are ultimately responsible, with medical specialists inferring this to be the responsibility of primary care. Pharmacists’ identity was strongly linked to vaccination services in the community, but not in hospitals. HCPs thought oncology pharmacists had the knowledge to expand their role to deliver vaccination services. Pharmacists, while motivated, identified that adding responsibility could cause overload without appropriate resources. Conclusion: HCPs supported the inclusion of vaccination administration into the pharmacist’s role and highlighted that an appropriately vaccine-trained oncology pharmacist would improve access to vaccines for patients with cancer.
| Item ID: | 88641 |
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| Item Type: | Article (Research - C1) |
| ISSN: | 2210-7711 |
| Keywords: | Cancer, Expanded scope, Pharmacists, Qualitative research, Role theory, Vaccination |
| Copyright Information: | © The Author(s) 2025. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. |
| Date Deposited: | 05 Jun 2026 05:27 |
| FoR Codes: | 32 BIOMEDICAL AND CLINICAL SCIENCES > 3214 Pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences > 321403 Clinical pharmacy and pharmacy practice @ 100% |
| SEO Codes: | 20 HEALTH > 2001 Clinical health > 200102 Efficacy of medications @ 100% |
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