Perceptions of pharmacy technician students of the CARD (Comfort Ask Relax Distract) e-module introduced as part of vaccine injection training.

INTRODUCTION: The scope of practice for pharmacy technicians is expanding to include vaccine administration in some provinces. Vaccine training courses and programs currently do not include education about mitigating immunization stress-related responses (ISRR) and improving the vaccination experience. We obtained feedback from pharmacy technician students about a new e-module that addresses this identified knowledge gap, whereby learners are educated about CARD (Comfort Ask Relax Distract), a vaccine delivery framework that reduces ISRR and improves the vaccination experience.

METHODS: Mixed-methods design including second-year pharmacy technician students who elected to take an accredited vaccine injection training program. Students were given access to the CARD e-module after completing mandatory vaccine education components. Eight students answered a quantitative survey and 4 (50%) additionally participated in a focus group. Qualitative data were analyzed deductively using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR).

RESULTS: The study was conducted between April 28 and June 12, 2022. Students reported positive attitudes about the CARD e-module across quantitative and qualitative measures. Qualitative feedback spanned 4 CFIR constructs: intervention characteristics, outer setting, inner setting and individual characteristics. Students reported the e-module was well designed and that the content was relevant. They believed CARD facilitated provision of vaccinations using a person-centred approach that promotes vaccination. They felt that CARD could potentially add time to the vaccination appointment and that it would need to be acceptable to pharmacy leaders because of implications for training and vaccination delivery. They suggested that CARD education should be mandatory. CARD improved their confidence in delivering vaccinations, and they planned to integrate CARD into their practice.

CONCLUSION: The CARD e-module was well received by pharmacy technician students when coupled with usual vaccine injection training.