To investigate the knowledge towards vaccination and their willingness to implement vaccination service in Malaysia among community pharmacists. A cross-sectional study was conducted using a validated questionnaire among community pharmacists practicing in Selangor, Malaysia. A total of 218 community pharmacists participated in this study and half of them had a moderate knowledge (50%) towards the vaccination. Majority of them believed that implementation of such service could help to improve the coverage rate (88.6%), improving accessibility (84.4%), and they should be permitted to expand their practice (62.8%). Nearly 7 out of 10 (69.3%) expressed their willingness to provide vaccination service. Moreover, inadequate education and lack of support are identified as the most common barriers to provide the vaccination service. A significant difference was observed between the highest pharmacy education with knowledge level (p=0.01) and attitude level (p=0.037). Furthermore, a weak but significant positive correlation (r=0.209; p=0.02) was observed between knowledge and attitude scores. Malaysian community pharmacists are willing to expand their scope of practice to include immunization services to the public. Policymaker may initiate to include pharmacist as a vaccinator. However, implementation requires professional development and overcome the perceived barriers to make ensure service is effective for public benefits.
Key words: Community pharmacy, Pharmacists, Vaccination, Knowledge, Attitude, Perception, Malaysia
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