Additional screening questions to help identify and prevent fainting during the COVID-19 vaccination process

Pharmacy type

Community

Pharmacy context

COVID-19

 

Relevant standards

• 4.2 - Pharmacy services are managed and delivered safely and effectively

Why this is notable practice

The pharmacy uses a screening process to help identify people who are experiencing vaccine related anxiety. This means team members are available to support people who may be at an increased risk of fainting when attending for their COVID-19 vaccination.

How the pharmacy did this

The pharmacy had noticed an increased number of people attending with vaccine related anxiety. This had prompted the team to review its processes. As a result of this review it added additional screening questions to its pre-vaccination process to support team members in identifying these people. The additional questions were: Do you have any fear of needles? And, have you ever fainted after a vaccination? A team member also reminded people of the need to wait for 15 minutes following their vaccination to ensure they were feeling OK. They also asked people to ensure they informed a member of the team if they began to feel unwell.

The additional questions provided team members with the opportunity to reassure people and to observe them closely throughout their vaccination journey. It also meant team members were able to offer people a reclining chair or medical couch to rest on post-vaccination if they began to feel unwell.

What difference this made to patients

People are invited to share how they are feeling, and to alert the team of any fears or past experiences. This allows team members to support and appropriately manage people at risk of fainting.