Jacob King
Evaluating the Discordance of Records Between the South Carolina Immunization Registry and an Independent Community Pharmacy Utilizing a Bidirectional HL7 Immunization Integration
Jacob King is a PGY1 community-based pharmacy resident at Medicine Mart in West Columbia, SC.
“I am deeply honored to be selected to receive the APhA Incentive Grant and look forward to conducting my research project. I am eager to use this research to expand the perceived importance of accurate state-wide immunization records and pharmacists’ role in ensuring patients are up to date on immunizations with records that accurately reflect their status.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, pharmacists solidified their role as essential sources of immunizations for their communities. In the years following the pandemic, the number of patients seeking pharmacy-based immunization has significantly increased for routine immunizations against pathogens beyond influenza and COVID-19. As pharmacists become more integrated into immunization administration, it is essential to have access to accurate and up-to-date immunization registry shared across all healthcare providers.
As pharmacists continue to expand their scope of practice into immunization screening and administration, it is essential for us to have systems in place to ensure we are able to effectively and accurately fill this role. It is my hope that this research will help to further demonstrate the impact pharmacists have on patient immunization status. It is demonstrations such as this, that are essential in our profession as we continue to advocate for pharmacists to be granted provider status.”