Pharmacists' contribution to improving vaccination uptake among children: A systematic review

BACKGROUND: Pharmacists are increasingly involved in vaccine delivery, yet evidence specific to pediatric populations remains limited. Most existing studies focus on adults, leaving uncertainty about pharmacists' impact on children's vaccination uptake. Therefore, this review aimed to evaluate the impact of pharmacist interventions on vaccination uptake among children.

METHODS: A systematic search of four major databases was conducted through July 2025. Quantitative comparative studies assessing pharmacists' contributions to improving vaccination uptake among children were included. Qualitative studies, case reports, and studies lacking child-specific data were excluded. Study selection, data extraction, and quality assessments were performed independently by two reviewers.

RESULTS: Of 8368 records identified, six studies met the inclusion criteria. The evidence showed that pharmacist interventions resulted in increased vaccination uptake. These interventions included screening, recommendation, education, and direct immunization. All included studies were conducted in the United States and primarily employed pre-post designs. A meta-analysis was not conducted due to heterogeneity in populations, interventions, and outcome measures.

CONCLUSION: Pharmacists' involvement in vaccination services shows a positive association with children's vaccination uptake. However, the certainty of this evidence remains limited by non-randomized study designs and potential bias. As all studies were conducted in the United States, the findings may not apply globally. Further high-quality, controlled studies across diverse international health systems are needed to better characterize the association and inform policy development.