Willingness To Pay For Pharmacist Based Immunization Services Among Hispanics

Signature Grand, Davie, Florida, USA

Objective. To determine if health status (HS) and education on immunization (EOI) impact the willingness to pay (WTP) for pharmacist based immunization (PBI) services in a Hispanic community. Background. Hispanics are significantly less likely to be vaccinated against influenza and pneumonia than their White counterparts. The causes of these disparities were suggested to be multifactorial, including various sociodemographics, English fluency, access to care, health status and health care utilization. Conveniently accessible, PBI services have shown to increase vaccination rates but little is known if they also contribute to narrowing the racial immunization gap. Methods. A prospective, randomized, open-label pilot study was conducted in an outpatient pharmacy locating in a Hispanic predominant community. Participants (n=102) who met the study criteria were randomly assigned to either receive EOI or none (control). Subsequently, they participated in a 2-minute self-administered bilingual questionnaire to measure their HS and WTP for PBI services. Results. Both groups were equally matched in baseline characteristics. The median HS score in the education group was similar to the control (8 vs 7.5, respectively, from a 10-point scale). In the education group, the WTP for PBI services increased by 61% when compared to the control (p<0.05). Moreover, 93% of the respondents in the education group were receptive of the PBI services as compared to 66% in the control (p<0.05). Multiple logistic regression analyses showed no correlation between study parameters and WTP. Conclusion. Regardless of the HS, EOI significantly increased the WTP for and the acceptance of the PBI services among Hispanics.