To investigate the knowledge toward vaccination and community pharmacists’ (CPs) willingness to implement vaccination services in Malaysia among them, a cross-sectional study was conducted using a validated questionnaire among CPs practicing in Selangor, Malaysia. A total of 218 CPs participated in this study, and half of them had moderate knowledge (50%) toward vaccination. The majority of them believed that implementation of such service could help to improve the coverage rate (88.6%), accessibility (84.4%), and they should be permitted to expand their practice (62.8%). Nearly 7 out of 10 (69.3%) expressed their willingness to provide vaccination services. Moreover, inadequate education and lack of support are identified as the most common barriers to providing the vaccination service. A significant difference was observed between the highest pharmacy education with knowledge level (p = 0.01) and attitude level (p = 0.037). Furthermore, a weak but significant positive correlation (r = 0.209; p = 0.02) was observed between knowledge and attitude scores. Malaysian CPs are willing to expand their scope of practice to include immunization services to the public. Policymakers may start to include pharmacists as vaccinators. However, implementation requires professional development and overcoming the perceived barriers to ensure service is effective for public benefits.
Key words: adjuvant therapy, cajuput oil, COVID-19 patients
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