402 Implementation and Evaluation of a Community Pharmacist Provided Travel Health Service

A. Eikenberry; K. Yeates; S. Veach; M. Witry

doi:10.1016/j.japh.2026.103410

Objectives The objectives of this study are to 1) develop and implement a pharmacist-led travel health consultation service within a multi-site independent community pharmacy practice, 2) describe participation in the service, payment for the service, and medication/vaccine outcomes of the service, and 3) evaluate patient satisfaction with the service. The number of international travelers has been steadily increasing in recent years, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that all international travelers schedule a consultation with a travel health specialist at least 4-6 weeks before departure. Community pharmacies are ideally positioned to provide travel health services comprised of medication dispensing, patient counseling, and vaccine administration all in one visit. The Pharmacy Practice Act in Iowa was recently updated to a Standard of Care model, which gives pharmacists leeway to engage in practice that is consistent with their training. This study will leverage the Standard of Care model to offer full-service travel health consultations without the need for a collaborative practice agreement. This service is expected to improve patient convenience and access in a way that is sustainable for the pharmacy. Methods This is a prospective evaluation of a centralized travel medicine consultation service at an independent community pharmacy. The pharmacy has seven locations throughout Eastern Iowa, providing care to patients in both urban and rural settings. Patients over 16 years old who are traveling to an international destination within the next 6 months will be offered a consultation with a pharmacist trained in travel health. The purpose of this consultation is for the traveler to obtain information, medications, and vaccinations that are tailored to their specific itinerary. Participants will have the option to attend the consultation in person at the central pharmacy or virtually from one of the other locations using telecommunications. Participants will pay a cash-based fee for the consultation, and the pharmacy will also bill their insurance for any vaccines and medications prescribed during the visit. After the consultation, participants will be asked to complete a satisfaction survey aimed at collecting data on background demographics, travel destination, convenience, cost, trustworthiness, patient understanding, and overall satisfaction with the service. Data will also be collected on pharmacy outcomes, including costs, revenue, participation in the service, medication/vaccination recommendations made, and rate of recommendation acceptance. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize survey responses and report pharmacy outcomes. Finally, a detailed description of service development and marketing will be outlined. Results Research in progress. Conclusions/Implications The results of this study are expected to comprehensively evaluate a centralized community pharmacist-led travel medicine service leveraging a Standard of Care approach. Integrating travel health services into community pharmacies may help increase patient convenience and access while also providing a sustainable new service for the pharmacy.

402 Implementation and Evaluation of a Community Pharmacist Provided Travel Health Service

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