Piotr Stanisław Choręza, Dawid Brożek, Agata Martyniak, Elżbieta Chełmecka

Are future pharmacists and medical laboratory scientists ready to administer vaccinations? A cross-sectional study of students’ knowledge

DOI: 10.32383/farmpol/241780

2026-10-29

Research subject. Pharmacist-administered vaccination is well established in many countries. In Poland, pharmacists are eligible to administer preventive vaccinations after successfully completing a training course provided by the Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education and passing a test designed to assess the acquired knowledge. By the end of 2025, 12,030 pharmacists with a Master of Pharmacy degree had obtained authorization to administer vaccinations in Poland.

Research objective. The aim of the present study was to assess the knowledge and awareness of pharmacy and medical laboratory science students regarding vaccination and the legal framework regulating the provision of vaccination services in Poland.

Material and methods. A total of 251 first- and fifth-year students enrolled in the pharmacy and medical laboratory science programs participated in this cross-sectional study. The data were collected using a structured, author-developed structured interview divided into three sections: (1) assessment of knowledge related to immunization, (2) assessment of knowledge regarding healthcare professionals authorized to administer vaccines, and (3) assessment of knowledge regarding the provision of vaccination services in community pharmacies.

The correctness of respondents’ answers was analyzed using logistic regression models that accounted for participants’ field and year of study. Given the multiple comparisons performed, the Benjamini–Hochberg correction was applied to control the false discovery rate (FDR). Results with a p-value of less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Two-tailed tests were used.

Results. Compared with medical laboratory science students, pharmacy students were significantly less likely to provide accurate answers to questions concerning protective vaccinations and immunization, specifically regarding MMR vaccine reimbursement (OR=0.436, 95% CI: 0.213–0.824, p<0.05), BCG vaccine characteristics (OR=0.479, 95% CI: 0.277–0.818, p<0.05), and the indications for non-mandatory and non‑reimbursed vaccinations (OR=0.399, 95% CI: 0.214–0.725, p<0.05).

Furthermore, pharmacy students were significantly less likely to correctly identify the healthcare professions authorized to administer protective vaccinations. The exception was the pharmacy profession, which pharmacy students were significantly more likely to identify as authorized to administer vaccinations (OR=12.951, 95% CI: 5.441–34.981, p<0.001).

Conclusions. Pharmacy students educated according to the curriculum valid until the 2025/2026 academic year were not sufficiently prepared in terms of knowledge of protective vaccinations and the legal aspects of immunization. These findings indicate that strengthening this knowledge through continuing education is essential to ensure the highest standards of patient safety and quality of pharmaceutical care. Unlike pharmacy students, medical laboratory science students educated according to the revised curriculum demonstrated greater knowledge of microbiology and vaccination-related issues.

Keywords: vaccination services; pharmacy education; immunization; legal regulations.

© Farm Pol, 2026, 82(5): 293–300