Benefits of the Vaccination Program - Essay Example

?New Services into Community Pharmacy In the current age where there are various illnesses which have become widespread over a significant population, health services have become one of the most important services in the community. Prevention has also become an important aspect of health care because of the relative benefits it seems to offer to the people. In the next 5-10 years there are changes which have to be expected from community pharmacies in order for them to develop new services. Vaccination is one of these services. This paper shall discuss the role of vaccines in the community pharmacy setting and how this new feature would help promote the health of the community. During my community externship in the northern territory capital (Darwin), I have learned a lot about the needs of the community. First and foremost, Darwin has about 100,000 people in the area, most of them being indigenous peoples who do not have sufficient access to medications and health care services. Darwin is located at the top end of Australia and most of its roads are flat rolling terrains which go on for long distances. It has a tropical weather with temperatures rising to 30-33 degrees for most of the year. These temperatures are very much conducive to the development of various diseases and bacteria. There is a need therefore to bring forth more health services to this region, more importantly, immunization services. There are many nursing homes in the area and their hospitals are always full and short-staffed. In effect, it is often easier for the residents to go to the pharmacy and buy their medications, rather than waiting in the hospitals or even seen private doctors for their ailments. The role of the community pharmacists is therefore very important in this area. A vaccination program must be made available in most pharmacies in Darwin. The pharmacists in the pharmacy I worked with also expressed the importance of implementing a vaccination program. Moreover, the patients themselves have expressed that they wanted to avail of vaccines from the pharmacy. The pharmacists’ regular and less clinical interactions with their patients also helped the latter open up about their needs and the needs for their families. And vaccination has been a common need. The patients also expressed that they experienced difficulties in accessing this program from their GPs because of limited supplies and sometimes more expensive charges for these vaccines. Such limitations with their GPs have not addressed their health concerns, and it has increased their worry about being afflicted with various diseases. The pharmacist suggested that it is still important to coordinate with practitioners and with the public health sector in general in order to help establish a program which can cover as many people as possible. The program also has to fit the medical standards of care. With the assistance and coordination with the public sector and other health practitioners, a vaccine program can be formulated (Pan American Health Organization, 2004). The most crucial diseases to include in this program would have to be the immunizable diseases, as well as the diseases which can potentially cause the most harm or health damage to a large group of people (Mathers, et.al., 2007). As the program would now be conceptualized, its implementation can now be coordinated with the community health sector, including all private and public health clinics, hospitals, health practitioners, and pharmacies. For vaccines which are available through the WHO and which are publicly funded, its administration must be encouraged in all hospitals, clinics, and health institutions, and by all health professionals. For vaccines which are not available for free, possible funding and purchase of these vaccines must be considered. Regardless of their benevolent availability, these must still be made available in hospitals and in all pharmacies, even if they would have to be purchased by the people. These vaccines however must not be sold at unreasonable prices. They must be affordable to most people and must meet the standards of health care (WHO, 2005). In order to set-up this practice in the pharmacies, a corner or area of the pharmacy must be set aside for the administration of vaccines. This area must be clean and must include all materials which would be needed in the administration of vaccines. Such materials would include syringes, cotton balls, a trash bin, alcohol, BP monitor, and similar items. The pharmacy must also have cold storage available in order to ensure the preservation of the vaccines. A licensed pharmacist and a licensed nurse must always be available in the pharmacy and it is their job to administer the vaccine. Proper sterile techniques would have to be applied by the pharmacist and the nurse during the administration of the vaccine (Casser, et.al., 1997). Moreover, the disposal of the materials used would also have to be done in the proper and safe manner. This area must also include a waiting area where the patients can wait before and after their vaccination. This area would also be the place where their blood pressure would be taken before and after vaccination. Abnormal levels in the blood pressure and other vital signs would have to be reported to a physician who is always on call in the pharmacy. Such vaccination services must be advertised and must be promoted widely in order to encourage people to be vaccinated. For those who cannot afford to avail of these services, government help must be forthcoming in order to cover their cost and their health needs. In the community setting, I noted also that there are various chronic illnesses among the residents. Many of them have diabetes, hypertension, and coronary heart diseases. Many are also obese or overweight and this excess weight is the main contributor to their chronic diseases. In order to address this problem, a personal trainer for these obese, diabetic, and hypertensive patients may be considered. This trainer would be able to work with them in terms of exercise and in terms of diet in order to help them lose weight and improve their overall health condition. Obesity and being overweight is one of the main problems in our society today. With the widespread proliferation of fatty foods, as well as high salt and high sugar foods, excess weight has become a global phenomenon (Department of Health and Ageing, 2010). With the increase of sedentary lifestyles among the people, the issue of excess weight has become even greater. The activities of most people have revolved around labor-saving devices and leisure activities, with less involvement in sports activities, or any other moderate activity, like walking, gardening, or carrying out light household chores. The increasing intake of fast foods has also become a major problem in the current society because of its “super sizes” and its high cholesterol content (Department of Health and Ageing, 2010). With the busy lifestyle of people, exercises and proper diets have been discarded and have now caused the proliferation of obesity, along with its related health issues. A personal trainer can work with each individual person and work around his schedule and his personal preferences. Some individuals may prefer to exercise through walking, and others may choose weight-lifting. It is important for the trainer to recognize the patient’s right to choose. By allowing the patient to choose, he would become more involved in the activities and would comply better with the exercise or diet regimen. A personal trainer would also be able to establish a program based on the capabilities of the patient. He would be able to fashion a weight loss regiment based on the patient’s age, preference, health condition, and work. This trainer can also coordinate with the patient’s workplace, to check whether or not the patient can be integrated in the workplace in terms of sports activities. If a health or fitness regimen is not available in the patient’s workplace, it may be proper to coordinate with the patient’s workplace and establish a program which can benefit not just the patient, but other workers as well. These activities after all are part of work sustainability and corporate practice. Works Cited Casser, L., Fingeret, M., & Woodcome, T. (1997). Atlas of Primary Eyecare Procedures. USA: McGraw-Hill Professional. Department of Health and Ageing. (2010). Overweight and Obesity in Australia. Retrieved 13 September 2011 from http://www.health.gov.au/internet/healthyactive/publishing.nsf/Content/overweight-obesity Mathers CD, Ezzati M, Lopez AD. (2007). Measuring the Burden of Neglected Tropical Diseases: The Global Burden of Disease Framework. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 1(2): e114 Pan American Health Organization (2004). Vaccines: preventing disease & protecting health. New York: Pan American Health Org. World Health Organization. (2005). Access to Medicines and Vaccines: Implications of Intellectual Property Protection and Trade Agreements. Retrieved 13 September 2011 from http://www.searo.who.int/LinkFiles/Health_Ministers_Meeting_WP5-Access_to_Medicines_and_Vaccines.pdf Read More