Marketing mobile influenza vaccine clinics on a college campus.

BACKGROUND: Influenza vaccination rates fall below public health targets. Compared with the general population, vaccination rates on college campuses are even lower. Since 2013, the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy and University Health Center (UHC) Pharmacy have collaborated to increase access to influenza vaccines by holding clinics at locations across campus. In an effort to increase awareness, this partnership expanded to include the UHC Marketing Department. Through this initiative, a coordinated marketing campaign was implemented to promote immunization opportunities. OBJECTIVES: To examine the impact of a collaborative, multimodal marketing campaign on individuals receiving the influenza vaccine at mobile clinics on a college campus and explore reasons why recipients chose to get vaccinated. METHODS: A 7-item survey was developed and administered at mobile influenza vaccine clinics across campus during the fall of 2018. The survey asked participants for basic demographics, the marketing strategies that they encountered, the strategy had the most impact on their decision to get vaccinated at the clinic, and their motivation for receiving the vaccine. RESULTS: The survey was administered at 11 campus-based clinics, with a 71% response rate. A total of 59% respondents were students, and 41% were faculty or staff. The most common marketing strategies recognized by participants were e-mail (45%), friend or colleague (35%), paper/digital flyers (24%), UHC website (9%), and mobile clinic signage (7%). The most common motivating factors for getting vaccinated were lowering the risk of getting sick (87%), protecting others (64%), and being encouraged by a relative or friend (34%). The number of people vaccinated after the marketing campaign was 1150, a 69% increase compared with the previous year. CONCLUSION: The marketing strategies described in this paper resulted in an increase in the number of vaccine recipients at campus-based mobile clinics. Implementing a multimodal, coordinated marketing campaign can help universities improve their vaccination efforts.

Patient perceptions of student pharmacist-run mobile influenza vaccination clinics.

OBJECTIVE: To assess patients' perceptions of student pharmacist-run mobile influenza immunization clinics, including satisfaction, comfort, comparison to other experiences, and the views of pharmacists as immunizers. METHODS: A 7-item survey was designed to assess patient satisfaction with receiving influenza vaccinations from student pharmacists, to compare the experience with vaccines received in nonpharmacy settings, and to determine the impact of the experience on patients' views of pharmacist-administered vaccines. The anonymous survey was provided to patients in the postvaccination monitoring area for campus and non-campus mobile clinics from September through October of 2017. RESULTS: Student pharmacists administered 1303 immunizations to patients at 27 campus or community-based mobile clinics. Of 928 patients (71.2% response rate) completing the survey, 90.9% had previously received at least 2 prior influenza vaccinations. More than 98% of patients were very satisfied or satisfied with the student pharmacist-run mobile flu clinic. Similarly, more than 98% of patients were very comfortable or comfortable receiving immunizations from a student pharmacist, and 99.9% of patients rated the experience as either better or similar to previous vaccinations received in nonpharmacy settings. Although 53.4% already used pharmacists as an immunization resource, an additional 38.5% reported they were more comfortable with pharmacists providing vaccinations as a result of the experience. Only 8.1% of patients reported that they would rather receive vaccinations from a physician or nurse. Reasons cited for choosing the mobile clinic for vaccination included convenience (92.2%), cost (35.8%), and positive past experience (28.9%). CONCLUSION: Patients were very satisfied with influenza vaccinations provided by student pharmacists in mobile clinics. The experience appeared to positively affect participants' views of pharmacists as vaccine providers. Proper training, education, and skill development of student pharmacists are essential for ensuring patient safety and for obtaining and maintaining the trust of the patient and health care community.